Devastating Past
by Valerie2
Summary: Angel is the new student in Sunnydale, where he takes a liking in Buffy. They all think he's your average normal kid......not really.
1. Part 1

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
1.  
  
Her mind had slipped away a while ago. She was not paying attention to Mr. Peterson's literature lesson, but it's not as if he would notice anyway, so she lost herself in her thoughts. Buffy Summers had finally gotten to a state of mind where she would accept that she was the slayer, the one girl on earth chosen to fight demons, vampires and forces of darkness, hence the lack of time for a social life. She hadn't had a real date for months, and as much as she missed having a boyfriend, she learnt to accept it.  
  
"Buffy!" whispered her best friend Willow. The slayer turned her head toward the redhead, jumping out of her reverie.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Check out the hottie!" Willow told her, smiling.  
  
Buffy raised her eyebrows "Oh yeah, Snyder definitely IS a hottie. Will, are you sick?"  
  
"Not Snyder! The guy at the door." She pointed to the entrance of the class, where stood a tall boy, leaning against the doorframe. Buffy's eyes fell on him eventually. Her first thought was *he's gorgeous!*. Indeed, every single girl in the class had their eyes all over him. He had short brown hair coiffed in spikes and deep brown eyes, wore a dark blue bottom- down shirt, which had three buttons unhooked and black jeans with a leather jacket.  
  
"Who is he?" Buffy asked her best friend, curious.  
  
"No idea. Never seen him before." Answered Willow, who was trying to understand what their Principal was telling their teacher in private. Snyder was quiet though, so she didn't understand why their Literature teacher kept nodding solemnly at both the boy and the Principal. Eventually, Snyder turned to the boy who was a lot taller than him.  
  
"Be civilized." The shorter man warned the young man, who wore a particularly indifferent expression on his beautiful face. He really looked bored out of his mind. Without another word, Snyder left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Everyone" called Mr. Peterson. "Let me introduce you a new student in Sunnydale High. This is Angel Connelly. I hope you will take care of him. He has to be welcomed nicely, I trust you all."  
  
Angel shot a nasty look at the teacher, recognizing the pitiful tone in his voice he got whenever people knew too much about him. He hated it when people used that tone when they spoke about him. Mr. Peterson only smiled, and pointed a spare chair in the middle of the classroom. "Please sit." Angel did as demanded and sat with a sigh, not bothering to take a look at the students around him.  
  
"Isn't New Boy just a barrel full of fun or what?" Xander commented to his two friends.  
  
"He's just disoriented and lost, with a new school, new class and all. Everyone would act like that." Willow pointed out.  
  
"Buffy didn't." replied Xander.  
  
"Mister Harris, I am sure you won't mind stopping this nice discussion with your friends and act slightly interested in today's lesson." Stated Mr. Peterson, making the boy turn over and smile sheepishly, embarrassed.  
  
As the class passed by, Buffy kept glancing at Angel discreetly. She couldn't help but feel the need to know more about this mysterious new boy. Sure, he was drop dead handsome, the definition of gorgeousness, but there was something more about him that made Buffy focus all of her attention on him.  
  
*****  
  
"Cute is way too weak a term to describe him." Willow disagreed, while walking to the library with Buffy after school, talking about Angel.  
  
"All right, all right! I find him very attractive, ok?" Buffy finally admitted.  
  
Willow smiled. "NOW we're getting somewhere."  
  
"Don't make me say what I didn't say Will, and I know you will. Just don't."  
  
"Come on, you're dying to get to know him! You couldn't keep your eyes off him for a second before."  
  
The slayer rolled her eyes and opened the doors of the library. "Could we just drop the subject? Please?"  
  
"Okay." Willow relented, but she was still wondering why her friend acted this way. She never felt embarrassed talking about boys before.  
  
"Good afternoon." Greeted Giles, walking out of his office.  
  
"Hi" Buffy and Willow said in unison. They sat at the table, where Miss Calendar was working on a computer.  
  
"What's up?" the slayer asked both her watcher and the teacher.  
  
"Mister English man here has trouble with modern technology, I'm here to help." Ms Calendar told the girls.  
  
Giles ignored his girlfriend's comment. "We are researching the demon you saw last night Buffy."  
  
"Found nasty looking blue clawed demon yet?"  
  
"We're on it. It shouldn't take much time with Jenny's.web search."  
  
"So...we're Bronzing tonight Buffy?" Willow suggested her best friend.  
  
"Er...sure." She replied with a smile. "I'll do a quick sweep of the cemetery before joining you guys."  
  
"I surely hope you haven't forgotten about training, haven't you?" Giles demanded his slayer.  
  
"Of course not, Giles!" Buffy grinned "I was about to say that I would be right here at 5 this afternoon for training with my dear watcher. What do you think I am? Irresponsible? Dear god, I'm one serious slayer!" she replied, smiling innocently.  
  
*****  
  
Angel was putting away his books in his new locker, when suddenly he felt someone touching his shoulder. With a roll of his eyes, he closed the door of the locker and turned to whoever was standing behind him. He found himself in front of a little blonde who was flashing a big smile at him. *Please tell me she's not asking me out!*  
  
"Hi!" she greeted happily.  
  
"Hey" Angel replied, sighing.  
  
"Your name is Angel right? I've noticed you're new here!" the blonde exclaimed, touching his arm.  
  
*Fuck!* "Yeah, I've noticed too." He replied with a fake smile. She didn't seem to notice the sarcasm though.  
  
"Do you like it in Sunnydale?" she was flirting shamelessly. "Because you know, it may seem like a small boring town, but if you hook up with the right persons, it starts to be a lot more fun. I can show you around if you want." The girl continued naming all the places she liked in the town, and Angel stopped listening for a moment to focus on her body.  
  
*A petite blonde. Yeah right, as if she was a natural blonde. God, why is she wearing so much make-up? Wonderin' how long it takes to take that off. Nice body though...she could be good in bed...maybe it'd be worth the date...*  
  
"You know, I don't usually wear that kind of outfit, my best friend told me once that my legs looked shorter with it, and that TOTALLY freaked me out!" she kept talking, her right hand stroking Angel's left arm lightly, and her other hand posing on his chest.  
  
*or maybe not.*  
  
"Oh my god, can you believe I haven't told you my name yet?" She giggled, he kicked himself mentally for even picturing himself on her date with her.  
  
"I'm Harmony Kendall. Every one knows me around here, don't worry."  
  
*Oh, thanks, I was dead worried.*  
  
"So what do you say? I'm free the whole evening. When do you wanna meet me? At 8?" she offered.  
  
Angel gave her a sexy half smile, which she responded with a chuckle, then became serious and answered coolly. "You know what Harmony? I wish I could go out with you...but I really don't want to. See ya round." Without another word, he walked away, leaving a stunned Harmony behind.  
  
********* 


	2. Part 2

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
2.  
  
A week later, Buffy entered the Bronze and walked toward her best friend, who was sitting alone in a couch at the back of the club.  
  
"Hey Will! You the first here?" the slayer asked while sitting next to Willow.  
  
"Yeah. Cordy and Xander should be here soon though."  
  
"Good." A few moments later, Buffy saw Willow staring at her intently.  
  
"What? Do I have something on my face?"  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"And you promise do be honest with me?"  
  
"Yeah! Spill it already, Will!"  
  
"Ok." Willow leaned over her friend so that no one could hear them. "What do you think of Angel?"  
  
"Willow!" Buffy exclaimed, offended.  
  
"Come on! We're alone, tell me. Please? Pretty please? I'm your best friend!" the red-head whined. Buffy looked around a moment, then sighted and leaned over her friend.  
  
"All right. But you can't tell anyone!"  
  
"I promise. It's a secret."  
  
"I can't stop thinking about him." The slayer eventually admitted with a grin.  
  
"I knew it! You've had this dreamy expression on your face ever since he arrived."  
  
"I keep dreaming about him at night, and it's crazy! I mean...I haven't even talked to him yet."  
  
"What KIND of dreams?"  
  
"NOT the kind you're thinking about. It's perfectly politically correct."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well...most of the time."  
  
"You sure?" Willow insisted. She knew the truth, but she wanted the slayer to admit it herself.  
  
"Ok, ok! I dream about him touching me and doing stuff to me I will never say out loud, so what?" Buffy snapped.  
  
"My, my. Someone's got a serious crush here!" Willow commented with a big smile. It had been so long since the slayer had dated any guy, she was happy that she was interested again.  
  
"Tell me about it. I don't know what's wrong with me! I see a guy once and I'm already head over heels for him!"  
  
"I suggest you at least talk to him. Ask him for coffee or something."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that." She paused a second, then she looked up at her friend, frowning. "But what if he thinks I'm asking him out?"  
  
"Er...you ARE asking him out." Willow pointed out logically.  
  
"Oh...right."  
  
"Just talk to him. You stand in front of him and you say 'Hi, I'm Buffy Summers.' You'll see where it goes from there." The red-head advised her.  
  
Before she could respond, Xander and his girlfriend Cordelia arrived.  
  
"Hello ladies. What's going on?" the boy asked, referring to the preoccupied frown on the slayer's face.  
  
"PLEASE, don't tell me some new evil beast is on its way to Sunnyhell!" Cordelia exclaimed with a sigh, sitting down next to her boyfriend.  
  
"No, but there's still the smurf demon somewhere around. Giles and Jenny are researching it...and I'm supposed to check with them and then patrol. Damn!" the slayer sighted and stood up. "Ok then, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks Will for...what you said."  
  
"No problem. Good luck with...you know what."  
  
"What?" Xander demanded, curious.  
  
"Just something about a demon. A tall...mysterious...dark...brooding...handsome..." Willow said that last part under her breath, and exchanged a knowing smile with Buffy just before she left.  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy! Where were you? I was worried!" Joyce Summers exclaimed, storming into the hall where her daughter had just entered the house.  
  
"I was with the gang. You remember? I told you about that party we organized for that new girl at school. Emily." Buffy answered innocently. Her mother seemed a little embarrassed and Buffy grinned inwardly.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I didn't remember about that. How was it? Did you have fun?"  
  
"Yeah, it was a blast." *Oh my god! Did I actually became THAT good at lying? Or is she just trying to show me that she cares about what I tell her? Tough question.*  
  
"Was Emily glad you all did that for her?"  
  
"Yeah! She was very happy!" *Well duh! Imaginary people love the imaginary parties they are invited to by their so-good-at-lying-to-her-mother-when- she-doesn't-want-to-tell-her-that-she-was-kicking-vamp-butt slayer friend!* "I'm going to bed. Night mom!" Buffy started climbing the stairs to her bedroom but her mother interrupted her.  
  
"Wait honey. I wanted to tell you something."  
  
"What?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"We're having diner next week with a colleague of mine from the gallery. Next Friday." Joyce informed her daughter.  
  
"We? As in you and me?" Buffy asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes. They have a daughter of your age who'll be there too. You'll make a new friend!" she replied happily.  
  
"But I don't need a new friend!"  
  
"Don't be silly! The girl arrived in Sunnydale about a week ago. Just do what you did with that Emily person from school so that she feels right at home here. You know you're very good at that!" Joyce reassured her and then went back into the living room. Buffy retreated in her room after a moment. *I knew that stupid Emily I made up would cause me trouble. What a bitch. I'm doomed to spent the entire evening with the art geek family and their art geek daughter. Someone kills me now!*  
  
*****  
  
The next day, when Buffy told her best friend about last night's news, she felt truly sorry for her. Willow knew that Buffy didn't like having anything to do with her mother's colleagues, mostly because she didn't understand a word of what they were talking about. "What did you tell her?" she asked finally.  
  
"Nothing! I didn't have much of a choice! And she was really enthusiastic about the whole thing!" Buffy complained.  
  
"Come on, it won't be THAT bad! Maybe they won't talk about art at all."  
  
"Yeah right. I believe ya..." Suddenly, the red-head jumped excitedly. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"He's here!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Well duh! Look behind you." Willow requested. Buffy turned around and saw what caught her friend's attention. He was here, opening his locker, and...  
  
*OH MY GOD!!* "He's wearing leather pants! He's wearing leather pants!" Buffy whispered to her friend, even more excited than her.  
  
"So I've noticed. And what a nice little ass he has!" Willow remarked, smirking.  
  
"Willow! You have a boyfriend! Do I have to remember you his name?"  
  
"Come on, I'm in love, not BLIND!" she retorted, amused by her friend's crush on this guy.  
  
"Oh god. He looks so good. And I don't even have classes with him today...damn it!"  
  
"What are you waiting for?" Willow asked her.  
  
"For what?" she raised her eyebrows, clueless.  
  
"Duh! For talking to him. Doing the 'Hi I'm Buffy' talk. Asking him for coffee!"  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I was you" a third girl walked over them.  
  
"Hey Cordy!" Buffy greeted her with a smile.  
  
"Yeah hi. Why not?" Willow questioned her. Cordelia grinned at them. She liked having the control of the situation, it gave a her the feeling that she was superior.  
  
"Because Harmony already tried that and I respect you too much to let you go through this embarrassment." She answered simply.  
  
"What did Harmony do?" Buffy asked her.  
  
"She did the 'Hi I'm Harmony' talk and asked him for coffee. And isn't he just the gentleman. Completely brushed her off. And not the 'sorry I can't but thanks' kind. It was more something like the 'I'd rather die' kind. Really sweet, let me tell you. Although it was very funny to see Harmony's face when he left. But I can see why you're interested though. Hello salty goodness! I would definitely try him if I didn't think he would do the same to me than he did to Harm." Cordelia explained. She said that last part with her eyes cast on Angel's bottom while he was walking away.  
  
"And the fact that you're dating Xander, right?" Willow pointed out.  
  
"Oh yeah, that too." The former May Queen murmured absently.  
  
"You know what Buffy? You should try and ask him out in private. You could walk him home pretending it's your way, too." Willow suggested.  
  
"I don't know Will. I don't know ANYTHING about him. I'm not sure it would be a good thing to jump right on him." Disagreed the slayer.  
  
"I gotta go with Buffy on that one. I talked to him a few times"  
  
"You did?" Willow cut Cordelia off.  
  
"Yeah, we're chemistry lab partners. Anyway he's the lonely brooding rebellious kind of guy. He wasn't especially rude with me or anything, but it was clear he didn't want to talk to anyone. Nor being at school for that matter. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like girls asking him on a date out of the blue. Sorry Buff."  
  
********* 


	3. Part 3

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
3.  
  
The dreaded night had finally arrived. Joyce was wearing a fancy long dress that she only wore in these cases. She looked at her daughter who was silent. "Buffy you look fantastic. I'm glad you dressed up a bit." At that, Buffy turned her head towards her mother, startled.  
  
*WHAT? Dressed up?* she looked down and saw that she was still wearing her pair of blue jeans, her white tank top and her black short jacket. *You've gotta be kidding me! She actually thinks I tried to dress up? So much for the rebellious impression I wanted to give. Damn, my good fashion sense is paying me back!*  
  
As the Parker lived only two blocks away from them, Joyce and Buffy had walked to their house. When they arrived at the right number, Joyce walked along the alley that led to her friend's home. Eventually, Buffy took a look at the house. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Wow! It's huge!" she remarked. "I had no idea you made that much money working at that gallery. How come we don't have a house like this? Where is the money?"  
  
Joyce chuckled slightly. "Well, I don't have a millionaire husband Buffy."  
  
"Millionaire?"  
  
"Yes, Diane's husband owns a very big computer company. Come on sweetheart."  
  
Buffy followed her to the front door. After ringing the bell they waited a few seconds and a seemingly fifty year old lady in a black dress with a white apron opened the door.  
  
"Mrs and Miss Summers?" Joyce nodded. "Good evening. My name is Mary. Please, come on in. Mr and Mrs Parker are waiting for you in the living room."  
  
*Holy Jesus Christ! They have a MAID!!!!* Buffy thought, stunned. Inside the house was every bit of what she thought it would be from the outside. It was huge and decorated with an artist's touch. Mary led them to the living room where a couple in their forties was sitting on a big couch in front of the fireplace, chatting happily.  
  
"Mr and Mrs Parker? Your guests have arrived." Mary informed them before leaving the room.  
  
"Joyce, how are you?" Diane Parker greeted her friend, standing and walking to her with a big warm smile. "And this must be Buffy. You look gorgeous if I might say!" she shook her hand friendlily.  
  
"Nice to meet you Mrs Parker." She replied politely. *Hey! I actually like her!*  
  
"This is my husband Frank." Diane introduced Joyce and Buffy to her husband. They exchanged a few nice to meet yous and how are you tonights, and they all sat on the couch, Frank giving them all a drink.  
  
"Buffy sweetheart, I don't think you're going to be interested in the grown up talk. Let me introduce you to Kristin." Diane told Buffy with a grin. She called the girl loud enough so that she would hear her from her room. "This way you'll be able to talk about boys instead of boring paintings!"  
  
"I gotta say, you read my mind!" Buffy replied, grinning too at the charming lady. A minute later Kristin entered the living room. She was exactly what Buffy thought she wouldn't be. Kristin was a tall girl with long brown hair. She was wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt with a silver skull printed on the front that was short enough to show her stomach. She had a rose tattoo on the left hip, a tiny diamond piercing on the nose and one on the belly button. Her pretty face was make-up free but she had obviously taken care of her hair so that it would hang around her face without falling onto her eyes.  
  
"Kristen, honey, let me introduce you Joyce Summers, my colleague from the gallery, and her daughter Buffy." Diane told her. The girl looked at Buffy and raised her eyebrows. She was clearly expecting, as Buffy was, some little art geek.  
  
"Nice to meet ya" she finally greeted Buffy.  
  
"Same here." The slayer replied with a smile.  
  
"So girls, are you going to stay around to discuss the new exhibition on African traditions and communications throughout paintings and sculpture or do you want to go do something on your own until dinner?" Frank Parker asked them half-seriously. The two girls exchanged a look and ran out of the living room.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy and Kristin were getting along very well. They sat in the other living room talking about everything, laughing about stories of their previous boyfriends. They understood each other perfectly, seeing that they had both arrived in Sunnydale High School in the middle of the year from Hemery in Los Angeles. Kristin was a freshman in Sunnydale High, so she was two years younger than Buffy, but she looked as old as the slayer. The dinner went amazingly well too, which surprised very much Buffy. She had completely expected to be bored out of her mind, but the Parkers and her mother didn't talk about art at all. Later in the evening, after dinner, Kristin and Buffy went outside for a little bit while the adults were still talking in the dining room.  
  
"Wow! It's gigantic!" Buffy exclaimed when she saw the garden. It was indeed very large, with a big swimming pool, a pool house, an area with chairs and a table.  
  
"I know. I totally freaked when I first came in here. Well.not as much as I did when I stepped into the house." Kristin agreed.  
  
"What do you mean? I thought your parents said they had it built only 5 years ago. You weren't there when the building started?"  
  
"Actually no. I only arrived a few weeks ago. Diane and Frank are not my real parents, they couldn't have children so they asked the social services if they could help by becoming foster parents for a kid. That's how I came in here. I was lucky, they are so cool!"  
  
"What happened? With your real parents? If you don't mind me asking." Buffy asked softly.  
  
"It's all right, I don't mind talking about it. They died when I was 9 after abandoning my brother and me. We were staying at a friend's house for the night. Before they left, they called the social services so that they would pick us up at our friend's and take care of us. But the same night they were killed in a fire." Kristin explained, showing no real emotion on her face.  
  
"That's horrible." Buffy commented, feeling really bad for her new friend.  
  
"Yeah. We felt so betrayed. But with the years we learned to move on. We lived with different foster families.and from time to time in an orphanage. First in our home town in New York. But we just couldn't deal with all of the changes. We started going on the streets, meeting new people and never following the rules. The kids of the streets became our new family. My brother was the leader of the whole group. Ok, it was not a healthy style of life, but we were fine. Then our problems at school and in the families made the social services move us out, they sent us to Los Angeles a year ago. We attended Hemery there. But it was the same than in New York. We made new friends on the streets, and after a full year plus two months, we arrived here."  
  
"But where is your brother? I mean your parents.er.Diane and Frank, didn't mention him."  
  
"Oh, that's the funny part." She replied sarcastically. "See, the social services believed it was all my brother's fault we made that much trouble. Cause he's 3 years older than me, he doesn't give a damn about rules and school and he doesn't mind at all getting into fights. It's not that he's a rebellious kind of guy really.I think he took the fact that my parents were planning to abandon us before they died a lot worse than me. He never showed his emotions to anyone except me. Anyway, when we arrived here they put us in different foster families. He lives 10 minutes from here."  
  
For a moment both girls were quiet, trying to think about what to say next. The wind came a little stronger, making the window of Kristin's bedroom at the first floor open itself. Music came from the room.  
  
//And I'd give up forever to touch you  
  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
  
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be  
  
And I don't want to go home right now  
  
And all I can taste is this moment  
  
And all I can breathe is your life  
  
Cause sooner or later it's over  
  
I just don't want to miss you tonight//  
  
"You left the stereo playing in your room." Buffy told Kristin, seeing that from what they could see from the garden, the room was completely dark.  
  
"No I didn't." Kristin muttered, sighting heavily.  
  
"Something wrong?" Buffy asked, surprised.  
  
"I don't know. Guess we're gonna have to find out." Kristin walked back inside, followed by Buffy. The two girls climbed the stairs quickly, and as they walked along the many corridors to the brunette's bedroom, the song was getting louder and louder.  
  
//And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am  
  
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
  
When everything seems like the movies  
  
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive  
  
And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am//  
  
Kristin finally opened the door. Buffy could tell the room was huge, even if it was completely dark inside.  
  
"Sometimes you're a real pain in the ass, you know?" Kristin exclaimed loud enough to cover the song which was playing very loud.  
  
// I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am//  
  
Buffy just stared strangely at her friend, who was, as far as she knew, talking to her bedroom (?), her stereo (?), the song (?)...  
  
"I'll never understand what is wrong with you!" Kristin continued, stepping into the room and reaching for the light. She turned on a small lamp next to the door which illuminated most of the room enough to walk completely inside without any risk of falling. Buffy followed Kristin in the room as she closed the door behind them.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" Buffy eventually asked.  
  
// I just want you to know who I am  
  
I just want you to know who I am  
  
I just want you to know who I am  
  
I just want you to know who I am//  
  
Just as the same song was about to start again, Kristin turned off the stereo and turned on a more powerful lamp next to it, which left only a few shadows in the corners. In one of the corners, at the opposite of the door and not far from the window, Buffy was surprised to see that someone was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. A few moments later, when she became used to the little darkness that was still surrounding that person, she recognized the guy.  
  
*OH MY GOD!!* She was a little more than shocked to see Angel.  
  
"You HAVE to stop doing that, you know?" Kristin told him. After a few seconds, he turned slightly his head and glared at her. "WHAT is your problem?" He never answered, he simply turned his head back and buried it in his hands, sighting loudly. "I thought I told you to get rid of that CD? You just HAVE to stop listening to that song!"  
  
"What's wrong with that song?" Buffy asked, curious.  
  
"The lyrics hit way too hard home for him. It's like the guy who's singing talks about his life." Kristin answered.  
  
"oh." She simply murmured. *'I don't want the world to see me'...yeah, I guess it fits the character. He didn't try very hard to make friends at school. He barely talks to anyone.* The slayer turned her gaze back to Angel and noticed he was looking at her. She smiled softly. "Hi! Angel right? I'm Buffy." She introduced herself politely. He didn't seem to recognize her because he was still staring at her with a frown. "We have classes together." She explained quickly, which he answered by rolling his eyes.  
  
"Angel, you know I don't mind having you here, but what are you doing here tonight? I thought I told you we were having dinner with Diane's friend." His sister told him eventually.  
  
"You did." He replied, coldly.  
  
"Ok...then...what the hell do you want that couldn't wait until tomorrow at school?" Angel looked suddenly at her, hurt and pain in his eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be here, huh?" He glared at her while standing up. "I'm sorry I interrupted your evening. It was nice seeing you tonight."  
  
"You really don't wanna be using sarcasm with me." She warned him coldly and he smiled at her. It was not a truthful smile, that, Buffy was sure of it.  
  
"Oh yeah? I should know better than that, huh?" he replied angrily glaring at her.  
  
"Gee, what is wrong with you?" Kristin asked, incredulously.  
  
"You tell me." Angel stated coldly.  
  
"Angel I swear if you don't stop that cryptic guy act, I'll"  
  
"You'll what?" He snapped furiously. "Throw me out? How sweet of you to threaten your own brother! But you wouldn't wanna break a nail, wouldn't ya? I'll save you the trouble!" He walked to the door quietly but quickly and left the room. Kristin followed him instantly, she clearly wasn't finished with him. Buffy followed the both of them around the house. She knew perfectly well that she shouldn't be witnessing the whole scene and that it would be better to just wait until they calmed down, but she couldn't help herself.  
  
*God, he's so sexy when he's angry!* she had stared at him from the moment she recognized him, and was fighting to keep control and not hug him tight, kiss him and never let him go. *I sooo shouldn't be thinking that! He doesn't need a groupie right now...more like a friend.*  
  
"I'm sick and tired of you crawling around me! You gotta get a life Bro!" Kristin yelled at her brother, making him stop at the first step of the stairs and turn around.  
  
"I HAD a life!" Angel yelled back. "I've even had THREE different lives in 18 years! Don't you think it's a bit too much?"  
  
"Need I remind you it has been exactly the same for me? I'm feeling just like you right now!" Kristin exclaimed. The fight between the sister and the brother was so loud that Diane, Frank and Joyce heard their argument from the dining room. Alerted by the yells, they came over to witness the scene from downstairs, as Buffy was doing upstairs next to Kristin.  
  
"No you're not!" Angel disagreed. He was completely overreacting and he knew it, but he also needed to scream out his frustrations and all those feelings that were eating him up. "There was a time where you completely understood me without even having to ask! We lived through hell together and you were the only one I could share what I was feeling with."  
  
"It's still true." Kristin interrupted him.  
  
"No, it's all different now. You don't know me anymore."  
  
"I gotta admit you're right on that point. Cause unlike you, I've learned to move on. I deal, but I don't change." She replied harshly, which caused him to darken even more.  
  
"Yeah, you deal. You do real good at that Kris! Brand new house, new school, new friends...you even have nice family dinners with your brand new FAMILLY. But you think you didn't change?" Angel shook his head almost violently. "You did. You changed completely. Cause my sister would NEVER allow anyone to replace her true family. A year ago you would have run out of the god damn house the first opportunity you got. So no, I don't deal. Everybody expect me to become a nice polite thankful boy. But guess what, that's not me! I don't WANT to deal!"  
  
"And because you do, I gotta throw away the one chance I have to make things right? You're so jealous that I can move on and"  
  
She was interrupted by Buffy, who couldn't stand to just stand and watch the hurt in Angel's eyes. "Kristin! Go easy on him, can't you see he's hurting?" she told her new friend calmly. The brunette looked at Buffy for a moment, then back at her brother. She saw that he truly was on the edge of the abyss and that he didn't need much more to fall over. His eyes were a little puffy and red. *He had been crying before we arrived.* she realized.  
  
"Who is this boy?" Joyce whispered to her friend.  
  
"You remember when we told you Kristin only arrived in the family a few weeks ago?" Joyce nodded. "Well that's her brother Angel. He's 18...that is 3 years older than Kristin, so the social services decided he was the cause to her troubles in the past and they sent him in a terrible foster family in the other side of Sunnydale, from what Kristin told us." Diane explained in a whisper.  
  
"Look, Angel...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you this way." Kristin apologized softly. "I...I hate seeing you like this. Just tell me what your problem is." Angel looked at her for a moment, then sighted and walked all the way downstairs. Kristin and Buffy followed him, wanting to stop him from going away. "I don't understand why you don't wanna try starting fresh...a new life. Without any troubled past, only future ahead." Explained Kristin when Angel reached downstairs. He turned around and looked at his sister, amazed by what she said.  
  
"Do you even have to ask?" he replied, his eyes wide open.  
  
"What's wrong with this life?" she asked again.  
  
"I HATE this life! I hate where I live, I hate that I have to go to SCHOOL, I hate the whole fucking town!" He spat at her.  
  
"You don't even try making friends, how do-"  
  
He cut her off immediately. "Where the hell do you want me to make friends? At school? Are you kidding me? I would NEVER make friends with those snobby morons! I am NOT one of them, and I refuse to become one of them. They have no idea what the fucking life is made of! I'm not a naïve little kid who believes life is the best in the best of the worlds anymore. It stopped a long time ago."  
  
"You don't know, it's not that bad. Give them a chance, people might surprise you."  
  
"No. Nothing can surprise me anymore. Sunnydale is worse than Hell for me! I'm suffocating here."  
  
"Yeah. Because it's a small town, and there is no one you can be the leader of. I get that. I was there next to you Angel. I know you, believe that. You ruled the streets of New York for years and when we moved to LA, you won the streets in a couple of months. In Sunnydale, there's none of that. No gangs, no lost kids...no family to create again."  
  
Even without knowing what happened after their parents' death, Buffy knew that what Kristin just said was exactly the truth just by looking at Angel. He was staring at his shoes, trying to keep a hold on his emotions. After a moment of silence, Diane walked quietly over Angel.  
  
"Angel, I want you to know that you are welcome here. You can visit Kristin as often as you want, you don't even have to ask for permission." Diane told him kindly.  
  
"You are a member of our family too, son." Frank replied, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort. Instantly, Angel backed away, glaring at the Parkers.  
  
"I am NOT a member of your family. You are nothing to me, and you are certainly not my parents." He told them coldly.  
  
"Angel honey, you should calm down." Diane continued. "What your parents did to you was traumatizing, but I swear you don't have to worry about us doing the same thing. We would never abandon you."  
  
"You know NOTHING about me or my parents!" He yelled at them. "You are nothing to me, you understand? Nothing! And you are not my sister's parents. No matter how hard you try, you'll never replace them. I won't let it happen! I'll kill you if I have to."  
  
"Angel! Stop that!" Kristin screamed at him, joining his side and keeping him away from her new family. "Angel, listen to me. You are my only family, I love you. No one will ever change that, no matter what. I swear. But I'm only 15, I can't do it by myself. Especially now that you're not allowed to live with me. I need adults to help me start my life. They are not my parents. Our parents are gone, but nothing can take their place." He cast his gaze on the floor again, but his sister would have none of it. She raised his chin with her fingers until their eyes locked, and she could see a solitary tear making its way down his cheek. "Why did you come here tonight?" He took a few minutes to answer her question.  
  
"I-I...I wanted to see you. To make sure I wasn't alone. Kris, I feel so lonely, it scares me." He admitted, tears rolling freely on his face. They hugged for a long time, comforting each other that they were still here for the other. When they finally pulled back, Angel looked at Diane and Frank, and a feeling of guilt coursed his body. "Huh...I'm sorry...for what I said. I didn't mean it." He apologized, unable to meet their gazes.  
  
"It's alright Angel. We can understand that you were upset, it's forgotten." Diane reassured him with a warm smile. "And you're welcome to stay here the night."  
  
"Thank you...I appreciate."  
  
"Not a problem. Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to leave you three kids alone. We have to talk about grown-ups stuff." She told them, taking her husband's arm and leading him and a stunned Joyce back to the living room.  
  
"I'm really sorry for everything I said." Angel apologized to his sister again.  
  
"Oh, it's already the past. Now let's tease you to death for the rest of the evening." She told him, grinning. He rolled his eyes as Kristin took an also grinning Buffy by the arm, going back to her room. Angel followed them quickly, his tears already dried on his cheeks.  
  
********* 


	4. Part 4

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
4.  
  
"So.I've heard you've met Sunnydale's own personal hell bitch." Buffy told Angel from where she was sitting on the king-sized bed. The young man was laying on his back on the other side of the bed and his sister was sitting on a big armchair, her legs resting on the bed. The three of them had been chatting and relaxing for half an hour after the end of the argument, and they all enjoyed each other's presence.  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked, snapping out of the intense staring he was doing. Buffy was oblivious to the fact that Angel hadn't rested his eyes on anything but her, but Kristin noticed it very much. She was really glad that his brother was interested in girls that way again. Ever since he was old enough to have sex, almost every date he had, had led to sleeping with the girl and forget about her the next day or so. Not that they minded anyway, the girls they used to frequent were more interested in getting into her hottie brother's pants than a life time commitment.  
  
"Harmony. She has a few classes with us." She explained, amused by his disbelief. He tried to remember where he had heard that name for a minute, then he remembered.  
  
"Ooooh...yeah. That blonde snob who tried to get me into a date in hell with her. How do you know about that?" He locked his gaze with hers, and she would have felt over if she hadn't been sitting. Her knees felt like jelly. He wasn't doing any better, the minute her big hazel eyes looked into his brown ones, he felt his insides melt. For a moment they were the two only people in the world, until Angel looked down, overwhelmed by those sudden feelings.  
  
"Well, Harmony's one of the most popular girls at school, so she gets people's attention. Anyway I heard it from my friend Cordelia. She used to be Harmony's best friend, but when she started dating Xander...that would be my other best friend, the girls of her group excommunicated her...if I might say. However, Cordy's still miss popular at school, so she gets all of the gossips from anyone." Buffy explained, fingering the covers of the bed to keep her hands occupied instead of resting them on Angel's muscular chest, burying them in his hair, tracing the line of his lips...  
  
"So...you're like one of the popular group of the school." Angel deduced, feeling a pang in his heart as he said it. He had vowed to himself that he would never fall for the most popular girl at school after what happened last year...  
  
"Not really...everyone tend to refer to me as the freak." *Oh my god, was that relief that I just saw in his eyes?* "But I used to be a snobby self- centered popular cheerleader, you know? It stopped during my freshman year...I realized it wasn't the life I was meant for...and I got into troubles with the teachers...burnt down the gym in LA..." *Stop it! Stop it! How stupid am I telling him about that? He'll think I'm dangerous or something!*  
  
Angel stared at her for a moment, he seemed annoyed by something. Just as Buffy was feeling ready to punch herself for sharing her troubled past, he turned at his sister, who had been quiet for a long time, enjoying seeing the two of them smiling and looking at each other while talking about their lives. "Does that mean I'm actually gonna have to FIGHT to be the student who causes the more troubles? Damn!" He exclaimed, sinking back into the pillows. Kristin couldn't help but laugh at that.  
  
"Don't worry Buffy, my brother's just used to be the one destroying school material. I'm sure he's glad he has a little competition."  
  
"Yeah, but it shouldn't be too hard." He responded, sighing.  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Well, let's face it, you're a girl." He answered, grinning devilishly at her.  
  
"Ouh...yeah, and getting into troubles at school is such a manly thing. Beware, you don't wanna mess with me." She told him sweetly.  
  
"Maybe I do." He replied simply, with a half smile that made her heart skip a beat. She had no clue what it was supposed to mean exactly, but she didn't have time to think about it as Kristin interrupted their exchange.  
  
"So Buffy, do you have a boyfriend?" she asked the blonde, but looking at her brother. He instantly seemed to be waiting for her answer with great interest. *I KNEW it, he totally has the hots for her!* she thought.  
  
"You asked me that earlier already." Buffy replied, frowning.  
  
"Yeah, but my brother wasn't there to hear your answer." She explained, smiling sweetly at Angel as he was giving her that don't-mess-with-my-love- life look. Yeah, as if she cared about that.  
  
"Well, no, I don't have a boyfriend." Buffy eventually answered. Angel fought very hard not to show the huge joy he felt from her answer. Before Kristin had a chance to reply, someone knocked at the door.  
  
"Yeah, come in." Kristin said, not moving. Mary opened the door, smiling warmly, and let Joyce enter the room.  
  
"Buffy sweetie, I'm gonna go home. Do you want to come with me? Or you can stay a little more, it's up to you." Joyce told her daughter.  
  
"Hum...I think I'll stay a bit longer." Buffy answered. She wasn't gonna see Angel until class on Monday, and she really wanted to make the moment last for as long as she could.  
  
"Ok, I'll see you at home, not after 11."  
  
"Bye mom."  
  
"It was nice meeting you Kristin."  
  
"Same here." The brunette replied with a smile. Joyce stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and went home after saying goodbye to Diane and Frank.  
  
About an hour later, at 5 to 11, Buffy finally decided she should go home. They had talked about a lot of other things, Buffy and Angel staring at the other when he wasn't looking, which Kristin enjoyed immensely.  
  
"Ok, I better go home, or mom will freak." Buffy stated, standing up.  
  
"Where do you live?" Angel asked. He didn't want her to leave that early, but he hadn't much of a choice.  
  
"Two blocks down the streets." Buffy answered with a smile.  
  
"Well...do you mind if I walk with you? I'm gonna go back anyway." Angel suggested with a smile. Kristin looked at him in surprise, but he wasn't paying attention.  
  
"Sure, if it's on your way." Buffy replied, hiding the sudden happiness she felt.  
  
"Yeah, it is." They all went downstairs, and the Parkers came to say bye.  
  
"I'm sorry again from what happened. I just wanted to say thanks for your comprehension." Angel told them softly.  
  
"It was nothing. Don't forget, you're welcome here any time." Diane replied. Kristin then led Angel outside, waiting for Buffy to say thank you and goodnight to Diane and Frank.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You do realize Buffy's way home is the complete opposite of YOUR way home. Right?" she teased him.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So when you told her you would walk with her...what you really wanted was to spend more time with her. Alone." She stated, smiling wickedly.  
  
"I just don't want her to get hurt. She could be attacked by a vampire or something." He defended himself.  
  
"A VAMPIRE would attack her on her 2 minutes long way home, in the residential area of town...where no vampires hang around because they can't be invited anywhere? Sure!"  
  
"What? I'm gonna hit the cemeteries for a little while after that. And it IS the way to the cemetery." He argued hopelessly. His sister always knew when he was interested in a girl, even when no one suspected anything.  
  
"Huh, huh. And do you plan to include kisses in that scenario?" she asked innocently.  
  
He sighed "I don't know...I'd love to, but...maybe she doesn't want to. Do you think she'd be upset?" He demanded, checking that Buffy was still talking with the couple.  
  
"If I can give you a piece of advice, don't do it tonight."  
  
"Why not?" He looked really disappointed and it saddened Kristin a little, but she wasn't sure he could stand Buffy's rejection. It was the first time he looked at a girl with such interest and he seemed really nervous to do anything. That was new for the guy who's used to have any girl he wants.  
  
"We talked about boyfriends and stuff earlier tonight, and she said that she wasn't really looking for a boyfriend right now. Something to do with her complicated life or something. My advice is to wait until you know her better. Start becoming friends with her.close friends. Don't rush things, it takes time. Show her that you want her but not with kissing."  
  
"But I'm good at kissing." He complained. Never in his years did he have to use a different method. He would usually hit a little on the girl and kiss her, and she'd do anything for him. Well, except than one time with THAT girl...would he ever be able to forget?  
  
"Yeah, well start something new, I know you can do it." She reassured him as Buffy joined them.  
  
********* 


	5. Part 5

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
********* 5.  
  
Late on Sunday, or rather very early on Monday, Angel made his way home after a few hours of hunting. After leaving Buffy on her front porch, where he had done as Kristin advised and kept his mouth to himself, he couldn't get her out of his system the whole week-end. After he had accepted the offer from the Powers That Be to become a warrior for their cause, Angel had learnt that he could escape for a moment his problems by kicking some serious demon ass. It all started a year after his parents' death, when he started hanging in the streets. He discovered then that vampires and demons existed, and decided to fight them after a vampire killed his girlfriend. It was this day, when he found his first serious girlfriend covered in her blood laying dead in an alley, that he found his only purpose in life. After a few months, he met a demon called Whistler who told him the Powers That Be offered him to join their side, and gave him his new powers. Ever since, it never mattered to him that he was not exactly a normal human being, the only important thing was that he was finally able to make a difference. The Powers That Be made him part vampire, part human, so that he would have the capacity to fight the forces of darkness with ease. He can't stand to touch crosses and holy water, he gets this weird tingly feeling when he's under a bright sun, and he can morph into a demon face...so what?  
  
Tonight though, as every minute since Friday night, he wouldn't think of anything else than Buffy Summers. No matter how hard he kicked, how many demons he found (and he was amazed by the number of demons he could find in such a little town), she wouldn't leave his thoughts. Not that he wanted her to, really. After a few hours of hunting, he had given up trying to change ideas and came back home. If he could call this home. He lived at the Evans, who reminded him of the Adams family. Bob and Joann were a couple in their forties, like the Parkers. However, it was simply impossible to even imagine referring of them as Angel's parents. Bob was a lawyer and Joann worked as a nurse at the Sunnydale general hospital. From Angel's point of view, they were two alcoholics who kept fucking all around the house. They had two devilish 8 and 10 year old boys, Mike and Carl, who took so much pleasure annoying Angel, kicking him and screaming all over the house, especially in his bedroom. Then there was Joey, short for Josephine, a 17 year old blond girl who went to some catholic private girl. The girl kept hitting shamelessly on Angel, who was not at all interested. He was however quite annoyed to find her on regular basis in his room, checking out his underwear.  
  
The Parkers hadn't given him a key to the house, so he climbed up to his bedroom window, which he always left open. He entered his room, and his body tensed as soon as he looked at his bed. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" He exclaimed, not loud enough to awake the entire house, but close.  
  
"What's wrong baby?" Joey asked seductively. Angel raised an eyebrow, not willing to state the obvious. He finds the daughter of his guardians in his bed having sex with some random guy, and she dares ask him what's wrong.  
  
"Why can't you do that in YOUR bed?" he asked, sighing. He had no power in his house, no matter what was the problem it was always his fault, even if he wasn't even involved.  
  
"Well, let's be serious for a second. My room is right next to mom and dad's. I wouldn't want to wake them up with the noise." She explained innocently.  
  
"yeah right. You've done it before." He replied coolly. After all, it was not that much of a surprise to find her doing something like that. She had once entered his room while he was reading and started undressing right under Angel's nose, pretending she liked the mirror in his room better than hers and that she needed him to tell her if she had a bite mark on her butt from her last lover, alarmed that her date this night might notice it.  
  
"I know, but...oh sorry, Angel, this is Paul. Paul this is Angel. Angel lives here, but he's not my brother." she shows with her hand the guy who was laying under her.  
  
"H-H-Hi..." He stuttered, extremely ashamed.  
  
"Hey, so nice to meet you." Angel replied, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying, Paul here is a very nice lover, and I was afraid I would scream a little louder than usual. So as you were not here, I figured I would borrow your room, which is far away from my parent's room."  
  
"And right next to your brothers' bedroom." Angel reminded her.  
  
"Yeah, well you can't please everyone." She sighed, but then a smile spread on her lips. "You wanna join us? There's room for one more, and I'm sure I could find a way to excuse myself. And Paul could help, too." She turned to her lover, who was confused, and smiled sweetly at him. Then she turned back to Angel, who stared at her, not showing any special interest. "He'll give you a nice blow job, his mouth is like a hoover. Oh! I'll give one to you, too, if you want." She licked her lips slowly. Angel sighed, and took off his t-shirt, then threw it carelessly on the floor. He noticed Paul was starting to freak from the fear, and turned red from embarrassment. He sighed, rolling his eyes again.  
  
"Jeez! Relax man! I'm only changing clothes. I'm out of here!" He took off his pants, wearing only his boxers. Joey had seen him a lot of times with his boxers. She had even seen his bare ass, so he had no reason to feel underdressed, even as she stared hungrily at his butt, his tattoo and his naked chest. Angel quickly put on his leather pants and a burgundy shirt, shoved a stake in a bag, grabbed his leather jacket. "Try to have fun without me, and...please change the sheets!" he told them before climbing out of his bedroom.  
  
Joey broke the silence a minute later. "All right, where were we?"  
  
*****  
  
The next Monday, Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, Oz and Willow entered the library to find two very grown-up persons making out.  
  
"Ugh! Gross!" Xander exclaimed, as everyone else made a face.  
  
"Please don't do that in front of our virgin eyes!" Buffy pleaded, covering her eyes quickly and trying to forget she ever saw that.  
  
"Hum...yes...er...sorry about that." Giles mumbled, turning into a bright red. Jenny, on the contrary, seemed totally cool.  
  
"So Buffy, how was patrol this week-end?" the teacher quickly changed the subject.  
  
"If you meant: 'did you kill the demon we spent hours researching this week', then, it wasn't fructuous." The slayer answered, as she plopped down on a chair, along with the rest of the Scoobies.  
  
"You didn't find him? I thought we had figured where he lived." Her watcher was clearly surprised...and kinda annoyed. They had spent the whole week working on that demon.  
  
"Oh, I found him alright." She replied, shrugging.  
  
"Buff, we're waiting for the rest of the story here!" Xander informed her.  
  
"Well...there's something you forgot to tell me about that demon, guys. He's NOT the patient type."  
  
"What do you mean?" Willow asked.  
  
"He didn't wait for me to kill him. He was already dead when I came."  
  
"Oh." Was all Giles could find to say.  
  
"The big bad monster had his head about 5 meters away from his body." The slayer clarified.  
  
"Suicide?" Suggested Willow. She was still dumb-founded and didn't really think of what she was saying.  
  
"Somehow, I doubt it." Oz replied, placing a light kiss on her head.  
  
"Well...maybe he had a bad day and was feeling very desperate." Cordelia continued while checking her nails.  
  
"Oh yeah, good point Cordy!" Xander exclaimed sarcastically. "The big bad evil killing demon was in a bad mood, so he took a sword, cut off his head and threw it away."  
  
"Definitely not suicide, guys! The demon didn't lose its head because of a sword, it was more like a pipe. I saw it covered with demon blood next to the body. He lived in a cave that has access to the sewers, so he probably had it from there." Buffy added.  
  
"But...how can you decapitate a demon with...a pipe?" Jenny asked incredulously.  
  
"Well...I could do it." The slayer told them. "But...I'm the slayer. I doubt a human being could be strong enough to do more than kick him in the neck."  
  
"Maybe it was an other demon." Willow said.  
  
"Why would a demon attack one of its own? No, I don't think so. I think however...that we have a new demon hunter in Sunnydale." Giles replied seriously.  
  
"Ok...that's nice, right? One more good guy on our side. Couldn't hurt." Cordelia pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but I'd like to know more about that person. Buffy, I want you to be careful when you patrol. Be sure it is an evil vampire or demon before you kill it. That person should be hanging at night in cemeteries, and we don't want him dead."  
  
"Got it Giles. We're done?"  
  
"We're done. You can go to class."  
  
*****  
  
After lunch, Buffy, Willow and Cordy were sitting on the grass next to a tree in front of the school and talking, when a dark haired girl came over.  
  
"Hey Buffy!" Kristin greeted her friend.  
  
"Hi Kristin, how are you?" Buffy replied, a big smile on her face.  
  
"I'm good, you?"  
  
"Enjoying the sun on a break from school, so I'm great!" She noticed then the looks her friends sent her, asking her to introduce them the new girl. "Guys, this is Kristin. Kristin, this is Willow and Cordelia, my best friends."  
  
"I've heard about you two. It's nice to meet you." Kristin told them.  
  
"You remember that dinner with her friends that mom made me go to? Well I met Kristin there...and it turned out to be a very fun evening. No art geek to bore Buffy to death!" she joked, exchanging a knowing smile with Kristin.  
  
The three girls talked for a few minutes, and Kristin spotted her brother, leaning against the only wall of the school that was in the shadows. She understood his dislike of the sun, but it saddened her that he didn't come out more often during a sunny day. It's not like it would kill him. Just a little tingle of discomfort can't hurt! "Hey guys, I'll be back in a minute." She told her new friends before walking over her brooding brother.  
  
"Hello!" she greeted him with a bright smile.  
  
"Hi." He replied simply, not looking at her. She followed his gaze. Oh surprise, it led to Buffy, who was laughing with her friends.  
  
"Why don't you go say hi?" she suggested after a moment.  
  
"I can't." He shook his head slowly.  
  
"Yeah you can. It won't kill you, it's just sun!" She disagreed.  
  
"It won't kill me, but I'll be very uncomfortable and I'll act weirdly. I don't wanna make a fool out of myself in front of her and her friends."  
  
"Come on, you'll sit under the shadow of the tree, it's fine! She likes sun, she won't be getting up before classes start again. Do you really want to stay here brooding until then?"  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy, your new friend has the hots for your honey. She's all over him." Cordelia informed the slayer. She turned around, to see Kristin arguing with Angel and trying to make him move from his position by taking his hand.  
  
"You think there's something going on between them?" she asked her friends, hiding a grin.  
  
"Well, they seem awfully close. We could have guessed a hottie like that would have a girlfriend already." Willow answered.  
  
"You think they're dating? Oh my god, Willow, it's gross! Do you have a problem?" she asked her, making a face as she saw Kristin and Angel making their way to them.  
  
"What? What did I..."  
  
"Don't say anything. It's disturbing enough to imagine Kristin and Angel together, thank you very much!" Buffy smiled brightly as Angel and Kristin were approaching. Angel seemed bothered about something around him, but it stopped as soon as he stepped into the shadows. His disturbed features were replaced by a sexy half smile that was only for her.  
  
"Willow, this is Angel. Angel, Willow. Cordelia, you already know him, right?" Kristin introduced them before sitting down next to Cordelia, careful to leave space between Buffy and her so that Angel could sit here. Which is what he did instantly. *Man, he really got it bad for her! I'm sure he doesn't even realize his feelings.*  
  
"Yeah, he's a damn bad lab partner but it's nice to finally have someone as uninterested in chemistry as me to talk to." Cordelia told them, making Angel nod in agreement.  
  
"Nice to meet you Angel." Willow told him nicely.  
  
"Same here." He replied, smiling slightly.  
  
"Are you okay? No offense, but you seem really tired." Cordelia asked him, noticing how beat he looked.  
  
"I'm fine." He stated simply, not really wanting to explain that he stayed up all night yesterday, fighting demons and walking around the town with coffee to keep him awake because the daughter of his guardians was having sex in his bed.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy murmured. He turned his head to him, and she gently stroked his right temple. "What's with the black eye?"  
  
He shivered under her touch, drowning into her hazel eyes. "I had a rough night." He shrugged. He briefly wondered how she could have seen it, when Kristin and the other two had stayed oblivious. Somewhere in the middle of the night, he was sitting in a park and had dozed off a few minutes, only to be fully awakened by a powerful punch in his face by a vampire. His vampire healing powers had already softened the color of the blow, so it was just slightly gray now. It merely looked as if he was really tired, but not like the reminders of a black eye.  
  
The arrival of Willow and Cordy's boyfriends made them change the subject, something Angel was grateful for. He didn't like the fact that their arrival had made Buffy stop touching him, though.  
  
"Hello ladies. And the other one." Xander greeted them, sitting down next to Cordy with a welcome kiss.  
  
"That's a nice way to welcome someone man." Oz commented after his kiss with Willow.  
  
"yeah. So...new people?" Xander exclaimed with a goofy grin. He had only seen the guy one minute and Angel already disliked him. It looked like the feeling was mutual.  
  
"Angel, Kristin, this is Xander and Oz. Guys, this is Kristin and Angel. We met last Friday night." Buffy explained quickly. "Kristin's a sophomore here, and we have classes with her brother."  
  
"Brother? Oh! Oh ok." Willow suddenly understood what her best friend meant earlier. She smiled at her, silently asking for more details later.  
  
"All right, you're the new boy every one keeps talking about, huh? How do you like all the attention?" Xander continued.  
  
Angel stared at him coldly. "Makes me wanna shoot myself."  
  
"Angel stop it!" Kristin hit him on the chest. She hated it when he talked like that, because she never knew if he was truthful or not after the three times he had tried to kill himself in the past.  
  
There was a moment of silence, before Angel broke it with a groan. "Oh fuck no." he mumbled when he noticed the blond guy that was walking towards him.  
  
"Hi Angel. Do you remember me? Paul." The guy announced himself, embarrassed under all of the curious looks he received from the other students. Angel glared at him for a moment, then sank on his back on the grass, putting his hands on his head.  
  
"Why the fuck are YOU talking to ME?" he asked, his voice low.  
  
"Hum...I saw you sitting here...and I wanted to apologize for last night. I am really sorry." He murmured, turning slowly red. Angel sat back again and stared at the guy in disbelief, ignoring everyone around him.  
  
"Duh! Go away!" He snapped at him.  
  
"No, you see, I really didn't mean to do that. She didn't tell me it was YOUR bed, and I didn't realize until when you showed up. What she said about us, I didn't really understand it, but I've thought about it now and I'm really embarrassed." He continued.  
  
Angel laughed in annoyance. "Look boy, I'm over it, ok? If you hadn't showed up right now, I would already have forgotten the whole thing!"  
  
"Angel, about this threesome thing, I hope you didn't think I would have done it. Not that I think you are not attractive, cause you are, but it's just that I was nervous." He started babbling all over again and didn't seem to be stopping.  
  
"Shut the fuck up!" Angel yelled at him, trying to stop himself from slipping into his demon face from the anger.  
  
"Do you think she was kidding about asking me to do a blow job to you? I mean I know she would have done it, but I didn't really realized what she asked." By now, Kristin had understood it was yet again something that happened with Joey and was laughing so hard she thought she would never be able to stop. Angel was controlling his annoyance, his whole body was tense from the self control he did to stop himself from ripping the guy's head off. The Scoobies were shocked at the scene.  
  
"Where in hell did she find a moron like you?" Angel asked, shaking his head incredulously.  
  
"Oh. Hum...we met at the supermarket. I was working there and she asked me if I wanted to see her again." He answered nervously.  
  
"God, what a whore." He muttered to himself. Then he got up and stood right in front of Paul, glaring at him. "Look kiddo. You're gonna forget about what happened, ok? I'm used to it. The girl's a nympho, AND she'd do anything to get into my pants. Not that it's any of your business, but I am not gay. And I wouldn't have slept with the two of you for the world. She was fucking kidding, got it?"  
  
Paul looked at him, scared like hell. "G-G-Got it." He stuttered.  
  
"Good. Now get the fuck out of my sight." He ordered, a dangerous look in his eyes.  
  
"I'm really sorry...I didn't know that" As he was about to keep going on, Angel grabbed him roughly by the t-shirt and pushed him away. He fell on his butt about 10 meters away from them and slowly got up and turned away. Angel glared at his laughing sister and sighed heavily.  
  
"Can I crash at your place tonight?" He asked her while sitting back down. Kristin had tears rolling down her cheeks as she nodded, trying to control herself.  
  
"This is just so great!" she murmured, sighing happily.  
  
"Could my life get anymore screwed?" Angel asked no one in particular, burying his head in his hands.  
  
"That was nice. I've learnt a lot today. So, you don't expect any blow job from us, right?" Xander asked Angel, willing to tease him to death. Buffy shot him a nasty look, clearly disapproving that he could joke about that. Angel didn't even bother responding, he got up and started walking away. Buffy stood up but didn't walk toward him.  
  
"Angel wait, don't pay attention to Xander, he's always like that but he's not serious." She told him, making him turn around to face her.  
  
"Don't bother being nice to me, I'm not worth it." He said coldly, shielding his emotions from her.  
  
"Where are you going?" Kristin asked her brother.  
  
"I gotta kill something." He grumbled as he walked away, his hands in his pockets. Buffy stared at him, feeling like crying.  
  
"What just happened?" Willow asked Kristin.  
  
"He's going through a hard time and he wants to be left alone. I can understand but I don't like it." She answered sighing.  
  
"But...what was that all about? With this guy?" Cordy demanded.  
  
"I don't know, he didn't tell me, but I'm pretty sure it's about Joey. She's a girl who lives at his place. She a real nymphomaniac and she's been looking to bed him ever since she saw him. She keeps looking through his underwear, trying to join him while he's in bed, taking pictures of him in boxers, walking on him in the shower...that kind of stuff." Kristin explained.  
  
"She's not in Sunnydale high, is she?" Oz asked her.  
  
"Nah, she goes to some catholic private girl school."  
  
"But he never slept with her?" Buffy asked, feeling jealous of this Joey girl. She was close to him even if he didn't want her to. Kristin smiled at her, raising an eyebrow.  
  
*Those two are so right for each other!* she told herself. "Nope. She's too crazy for his likings. I'll bet all you want that Angel caught her having sex in his bed last night with this guy."  
  
********* 


	6. Part 6

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
6.  
  
"Angel! Angel wait!" Buffy exclaimed, seeing Angel leaving school at the end of last class the next day. He stopped and turned around, waiting for her to catch up with him.  
  
"Hey." He murmured softly. He felt guilty for what he told her the day before when she was trying to be nice with him. He was afraid he had screwed up the little that was going on between them.  
  
"Are you ok?" she asked with a concerned smile, facing him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Look, Buffy...I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I-I didn't mean to be unpleasant. I appreciate your concern."  
  
"It's alright, I'd be a little upset too if something like that happened to me." She replied, grinning, as they resumed their walk home.  
  
"I guess, but I should learn to control my emotions once in a while."  
  
"Come on, you say that as if your life was at stake or something. It was fun. Utterly embarrassing, I admit, but how many times does this kind of situation happen anyway?" She asked, chuckling.  
  
"About everyday." He replied seriously. Buffy raised an eyebrow at him, stunned.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"yeah. I'm used to it though. But yesterday was different.that guy started telling the story in front of everyone...I mean, I'm sure your friends are great, but I don't know them at all. Kristie's the only one who knows everything about me. I never share my feelings with anyone but her."  
  
"Well, you kinda shared stuff with me, too last Friday." She pointed out.  
  
"You're different." He turned his head towards her as they were walking and their eyes locked. "Most people who learn that my parents abandoned us and died when we were kids...and that I've sorta lived the past 6 years in the streets...they have that look in their eyes."  
  
"That look." She didn't understand.  
  
"It's pity. It makes me feel weak...helpless and vulnerable. I hate it." He explained, sighing. "But you didn't do that last Friday. After you saw us arguing...there wasn't any pity in the way you were looking at me. And trust me, I've learnt to recognize it. It feels easy to talk to you. Kristin's the only one who I feel that with...well, now there's you, too."  
  
She smiled, slightly blushing. "I guess I can relate. I'm not saying I know what you're going through, cause I honestly don't. But I've got a weird life, too. My parents got divorced last year, I've had a hard time dealing with the new situation. I'm still not quite sure I'm alright with it. I miss my father and my mom turned into full overprotective mother mode."  
  
Angel said nothing for a moment. He wanted to comfort her. It was a weird feeling, because he didn't care if he was happy, as long as she was.  
  
"You miss your life before they divorced. When everything was easy. I do too." After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, resuming their walk to Buffy's house. Slowly, Angel reached out and took Buffy's hand in his. He didn't dare look at her to see her reaction, so he kept his eyes on the road, but he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding and his lips curved into a small smile when she squeezed his hand back.  
  
"So, you're staying at Kristin's tonight?" Buffy asked when they stopped in front of her house and reluctantly pulled their hands apart.  
  
"Yeah. She made me leave a few clothes in her room so that I could stay whenever I want. I'll go back tomorrow, though. I don't wanna intrude or anything."  
  
"Do you..." Buffy really wanted to ask him out, but she was afraid he'd say no, so she covered what she was about to say by something a little less date-looking. "The whole gang is going out Saturday. You know...coffee, movies, Bronze. Or maybe movies then coffee and Bronze...or well we can still do"  
  
"Buffy." He interrupted her, smiling. "You're babbling." *She's so cute.*  
  
"Oh...ok. Huh...I was wondering if you would come with us...you know...Kristin already said yes, so..." *Why does he have to be so gorgeous? I can't form a coherent sentence when he looks at me like that*  
  
"Are you asking me out?" He asked her, eyebrows raising slightly. His mind was screaming victory.  
  
"Well, yeah, but out with the gang. So you can get to know them better. And I'll be there too." She clarified, blushing.  
  
*Man, she's gonna kill me if she keeps smiling at me like that!* "I'll be there."  
  
*****  
  
So? When are you planning to do it?" Kristin asked her brother.  
  
"Do what?" He demanded. His mind was really not in the conversation he was having with his younger sister. He couldn't stop thinking about Buffy. They were on their way to the Expresso Pump where they were meeting Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Xander and Oz, and Angel's heart was making flip-flops.  
  
"Duh! Kiss Buffy!" She replied, making it seem as if it was obvious what she was talking about.  
  
"Oh. That." He murmured, his lips curving into a smile thinking about it. "Honestly I don't know. I've been dying to do it the whole week, but every time I'm close to her, I start shaking and babbling. I've never felt this way before."  
  
"You're scared?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm afraid she won't react as I want her to."  
  
"Well...what do you want her to do?"  
  
"I've been picturing the thing ever since I met her. You know...I'd lean over, brush our lips and start kissing her. She's respond immediately, wrap her arms around my neck...then I place my hands on her waist...then on her back holding her tightly against me...the kiss turns more passionate, and..."  
  
"And you lower her on the bed and make love to her until she falls unconscious." Kristin flashed him a bright amused smile.  
  
"Busted." He admitted, smiling wickedly.  
  
"Aaww that's so cute! Who would have thought that MY big brother, the big bad vampire hunter, warrior for the Powers That Be and half vampire Angel would ever fall in love?" She chuckled.  
  
Something snapped inside his head, a reminder of a past he would never be able to run from. "I'm NOT in love!"  
  
"Sorry...I just meant it was new to have you fantasize on just a kiss..." She quickly amended. She had forgotten for a moment that it was not a good idea to talk about certain things.  
  
"What can I say? I really like her. I mean, she's so hot and sexy! But...it's different from what I felt for every hot girl I've dated. It's important if she's happy...or sad...disappointed. You know what I mean?"  
  
"Yes. You care for her. You want...to touch her...to kiss her...talk to her, laugh with her, go out on dates, make out..." She trailed off, smiling at the dreamy look on her brother's face. "You want a girlfriend, Angel. Not a one-night stand like you've had for years."  
  
"I guess I do."  
  
"Oh, here we are." She pointed at the Expresso Pump, totally excited. They entered the shop and walked to the Scooby Gang, who was fully represented, except for Giles. Angel immediately spotted Buffy, who was sitting between Cordelia and Oz.  
  
*Damn!* He really wanted to sit next to her. The table they were sitting at was rather small, and he really wouldn't have minded if Buffy had to squeeze herself against him, or even sit on his lap.  
  
"Hey guys!" Kristin greeted cheerfully, sitting next to Xander. Angel took a seat next to her, across from Buffy. He nodded with a polite smile at the hellos he received. He looked for a moment at his sister, totally amazed by the girl.  
  
*She has changed so much.* He remarked. Back in the New York days, and even at the beginning of their life in Los Angeles, she was a lot more like her brother. She was a lot more dark and lonely, just like him. But now, he realized, she had really changed. The fact that she was living an almost normal life was certainly influencing her behavior. Now, she started to wear colored clothes, not so much leather. He felt a pang of guilt when he figured that all this was certainly because she didn't hunt vampires and demons anymore. When they were living together, with Angel's gang, she was always part of the hunting, and Angel never thought that she might not like it. It was a part of him and he enjoyed hunting a lot, because it proved him that he was important to the world. But Kristin never asked for this.  
  
Just as he was beginning to jump into brood mode, he was pulled out of his thoughts by the light voice of his favorite blonde.  
  
"Hey Angel." She greeted with a bright smile. "How're you doing?"  
  
"I'm okay. You?"  
  
"Well...so far I can't complain." She told him, her eyes sparkling.  
  
"Which movie?" Xander asked suddenly, breaking the hypnotizing look Buffy and Angel were sharing.  
  
"NOT a scary movie." Cordelia stated, relaxing in the arms of her boyfriend.  
  
"Yeah, and NOT the kind of guy movie with bombs, terrorists and hot half- naked girls." Willow continued, enjoying the feel of Oz's hands on her back.  
  
"So what? A chick flick? Please!" Xander retorted, groaning.  
  
"Works with me." Buffy told him, chuckling.  
  
"Yeah!" Cordelia, Kristin and Willow said in unison.  
  
"As long as Willow is happy, I'm happy." Stated Oz.  
  
"Angel? Please tell me you are manly enough to protest with me here!" Xander whined at the older boy.  
  
"Huh?" He had no idea what they were talking about, seeing all he had been able to do was stare at Buffy.  
  
"Oh, we really don't need his opinion. He hasn't been to the movies for years, he wouldn't know what he's talking about." Kristin answered for him. He received weird looks from Xander, Cordelia and Willow, who were surprised that a teenager never went to the movies.  
  
"Yeah, like she says, whatever." He murmured, shrugging.  
  
A few minutes later, the waiter gave them their drinks, and they started chatting happily. Angel didn't say much, he just listened from time to time, more interested in watching Buffy. However, Cordelia pushed the discussion to the subject of their new friend, so he had to follow the whole thing.  
  
"So Angel...do you do any sport? Cause with THAT body, I'm guessing you didn't get it without doing anything." Cordelia asked him, receiving a jealous look from her boyfriend, and an amused smile from the girls.  
  
"Basketball. I tried football during my first sophomore year but I dropped it after two months and I came back to basketball. Quarterbacks get way to much attention. I don't like it."  
  
"First sophomore year?" Willow repeated confused.  
  
"Yeah. I'm 18, I suck at school. Had to repeat my 6th and 10th grades." He explained briefly.  
  
"Are you gonna join the basketball team here?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I'm the head cheerleader." Cordelia informed him. "The team is really great, I'm sure you'd love it."  
  
"I'll think about it." As Buffy listened to Angel and Cordelia talk about basketball, she felt something on her foot.  
  
*Oh my god!* Her mind screamed. She was totally shocked when she realized it was Angel's foot on her own. She glared at him but he was talking with Cordelia and Xander. Cordelia was telling him all about Sunnydale's sport teams exploits, while Xander was giving the sarcastic comments. If the slayer wasn't sure that it was Angel's foot, she would have sworn he was innocent. He looked completely not distracted when he talked. Slowly, Angel moved his foot up, and pushed up her pants leg. She made no move to stop him, which made him smile slightly.  
  
"What don't you like in football?" Oz asked Angel.  
  
"Well, apart of the whole deal with getting everyone's attention, I don't like the equipment and stuff. Having to wear a helmet and everything, it's just annoying." He answered half-truthfully. There was another reason that made him deeply dislike football, but he couldn't say it to anyone and Kristin had learnt not to mention it.  
  
"So you just did it 'cause being the star quarterback is a real chick magnet, right?" Xander told him, smirking.  
  
"I don't need to be in a football team to get dates, man. I've got my ways on girls." He replied, looking at Buffy, who was blushing. He couldn't help but grin at that. Somewhere during the conversation, after he had caressed her ankle for a few minutes, she had returned the favor and they had both slipped out of their shoes. Their socks were as down as the other was able to lower it, so that they would be able to touch more. Angel had pushed Buffy's pants leg all the way up her calf, and the others had no idea of what was going on, as there was not even a glance exchanged between the two. They both acted like nothing was going on, it made the game more fun this way. At least for Angel, because Buffy was seriously blushing.  
  
"All right guys, we should go if we don't wanna miss the beginning of the movie." Xander exclaimed suddenly. As everyone was getting up, Kristin noticed Buffy bending over to fix her pants leg and her sock rapidly and grinned at her brother, who was acting innocently after he had slipped back in his own shoe.  
  
********* 


	7. Part 7

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
AN: the song is "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls  
  
*********  
  
7.  
  
"Busted." Kristin whispered in Buffy's ear as the gang was walking to the movie theater.  
  
"What?" the slayer asked, confused.  
  
"Enjoying playing footsie with my brother, aren't ya?" she clarified, smirking. Buffy looked quickly around, and when she saw that her friends and Angel were far enough not to hear them, she turned towards the brunette.  
  
"You saw us?" Buffy was embarrassed, mostly because she didn't know what Kristin thought about what was going on between Angel and her.  
  
"You guys were very discreet, I gotta give you points for that one. But I know my brother, and that look he had when we left the table? Way too innocent to fool me. And I kinda saw you fixing your pants." She explained, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Okay..." Buffy murmured, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Aaww come on, tell me how you feel about him, I'm dying to know here."  
  
Buffy smiled, realizing that Kristin was her ally, not her enemy. "He's so sweet. I like him a lot." She admitted.  
  
"Well, you would make a sweet couple. I'm with you if you ever need help." Kristin told her when they arrived at the theater. They paid for the tickets and bought popcorn, then they went to their seats. Kristin made sure that Cordelia and Xander were together, then she sat on a seat two rows behind them, next to Willow and Oz, leaving Buffy and Angel next to each other behind Cordelia and Xander.  
  
Ten minutes after the movie started, Cordelia and Xander were engaged in a heated make-out session. Oz was watching the movie, not really interested but having nothing better to do anyway. Kristin and Willow were half watching the movie, half spying on Buffy and Angel. The two girls had shared a look and understood that they had the same intentions, which were to get Buffy and Angel together. Willow knew all about Buffy's feelings for the older dark-haired boy, while Kristin was the only person Angel shared those types of feelings with. They would succeed, they had no doubt about it.  
  
Buffy found herself not really interested in the movie, but she watched it anyway, to get her mind as far as possible from Angel. She had the urge to kiss him madly right now, but she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. It was hard to concentrate on the movie though, because Angel's hand was now resting on her right knee. He stayed still there a long time, a very long time, then he started making feather-like movements on her knee with his thumb. Buffy breathed deeply to keep her emotions under control. She never would have thought that an act so simple could seem so erotic. After a moment, Buffy reached out and rested her hand on his. He turned his hand so that their palms were facing and intertwined their fingers. He kept his gaze on the movie, aware that Buffy was looking at him, he didn't want to see any kind of rejection in her beautiful eyes. Angel was seriously lacking self-confidence when Buffy was the matter. Then, she squeezed his hand softly, and he felt his lips curving into a small smile. Their legs brushed, and Buffy tangled her foot around his.  
  
"Aaaww, they're so cute!" Willow whispered to Kristin, so softly that only she could hear it. Kristin smiled, seeing her brother and new friend's hands firmly clasped together.  
  
They both stopped moving for a while, enjoying the feel of the other's skin against their own. Buffy tried to concentrate on the movie again, but she had trouble focusing with Angel so close to her. Then, he pulled his hand away slowly.  
  
*Hey! Don't!!!* Her mind was screaming at the loss. However, she did nothing to show it, which troubled a little Angel.  
  
*Man, she doesn't seem too upset that I let her hand go. Damn! Oh well, let's see how she reacts now...* He brushed his hand against her arm, and put his arm around her shoulders, in a possessive but gentle grip.  
  
*OH MY!!* For all she cared, she could have screamed her surprise out loud. *He's got his arm around my shoulders...oh boy that's even better. Or is it? My hand suddenly feels so empty...* she pouted inwardly. *ooh, THAT's better.* She couldn't hold the smile when he took her hand in his other free hand, stroking lightly her skin there. She leaned on his shoulder, sighing happily when he tightened his embrace.  
  
*She smells so good. God I wanna kiss her so badly* He thought, watching absently the screen.  
  
*Mmm. That feels the best. I could stay forever in his arms, just like this. Well, maybe it would add a little something if he was shirtless. I guess it'd be nice...to touch his skin...kiss his chest...*  
  
*Yeah, kisses would be great, but it'd be even better if she didn't have that shirt on. And those pants! Why can't she wear a skirt? It's easier to touch with a skirt...well ok, I wouldn't be able to see her cute ass if she wasn't wearing those tight pants...* Angel rationalized.  
  
*Are leather pants harder to take off than regular pants?* Buffy wondered, frowning slightly. *Cause boy does his butt look good with those leather pants, but I guess it's a tricky business to get them out of the way.* Suddenly, Buffy realized what she was thinking about and blushed furiously. *Oh god, I've known the guy for a week and I'm already thinking about taking off his pants!*  
  
Angel however, was still deeply thinking about what Buffy wears that makes her look this hot and sexy, without blushing at all. Well, he was indeed a man, and one with a pretty big and long sexual experience with that. Anyway, he was still engrossed in his dreams when he felt someone shaking him from behind.  
  
"Angel! Movie's over!" Kristin told him, smiling and raising an eyebrow at his brother, who was still holding Buffy against him.  
  
"Right. Let's go." He murmured, disappointed. With a sigh, Buffy pulled away. They both stood up and got out of the theater with their friends.  
  
*****  
  
They arrived at the Bronze not long after they left the movies.  
  
"My ladies, would you care for a dance?" Xander asked the girls, bowing in mock politeness.  
  
"Why surely kind sir!" Cordelia replied taking his arm.  
  
"Buff? Will? Kristin?" Xander insisted.  
  
"Comin'!" Buffy exclaimed, always ready to dance with her friends.  
  
"Er...we're gonna go over there." Willow informed them, meaning her and Kristin. They took off giggling, excited about their new friendship through matchmaking. Angel eyed them suspiciously, as they made their way to the other side of the club. He didn't like when Kristin got that excited. Not a good sign, it was always because she was planning something he wouldn't appreciate.  
  
"Angel?" He looked at Buffy from where he was sitting on the couch. She looked at him with a shy smile. "Do you wanna dance?"  
  
"Oh. Er...no, thanks. I-I don't dance." He replied, sighing.  
  
"You okay?" She worried.  
  
"Yeah, I'm good. Go ahead, I'll stay here." He told her, smiling half- heartedly. He didn't mind dancing usually, but he swore a few weeks ago that he would only do it if he couldn't help it, only slow dances, and only if it was the only way he could get the girl. Right now, it was not really a slow dance, and he didn't need that to kiss Buffy. He just needed courage and the good moment...and THAT he can't have with a dance.  
  
"Well, your loss is my incredible gain!" Xander exclaimed happily. "Come on ladies." He took each girl by the arm and led them to the dance floor.  
  
"Should we worry?" Oz asked to make conversation, referring to his girlfriend and Angel's sister who were talking seriously.  
  
Angel glanced at the two girls. "Yep."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"You don't dance?" Angel replied.  
  
"Only with Willow." Oz answered, shrugging.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"You?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"k." Soon they were both silent, looking around. It was not an awkward moment, they just didn't have anything to tell each other, and mono- syllabic guy number one doesn't usually start a big conversation with mono- syllabic guy number two.  
  
Angel was watching Buffy dancing, but the fact that three guys were around her didn't help making him focus on her. He let himself think, which he knew wasn't a good idea. He thought about a few years ago, when he was still in New York. He used to go clubbing almost every night, with Spike and his girlfriend Faith, and Steven. While Spike and Faith were busy dancing (well mating would be a more appropriate term), Angel would look around for a girl, find one for Steven too, as his best friend was too much of a good boy to do it himself and also, Steven was still a virgin, making Angel try even harder to find him a girl with whom he would finally do it. After a few hours Spike, Faith, Steven and Angel...and most of the time Angel's new conquest, too, would go home or walk around for a moment.  
  
Then when Angel and Kristin were sent to Los Angeles, Steven decided to live with his big sister who had just transferred to UCLA a month before. Angel and Steven started to go out again, even more now that Steven wasn't a virgin any more. Now it was Angel's turn to be teased because he was going from one-night stands to one-night stands, whereas Steven never slept with a girl he hadn't dated for a few weeks and when he finally found one, they would do it all the time.  
  
Angel looked around the Bronze, sighing. He used to do everything with Steven. He hadn't been clubbing again after what happened, and it was starting to get depressing tonight. If he had stayed in LA, he would have gone out again a long time ago, because Gunn and the others, who were very often with the two of them, would have dragged him, threatened him to have fun like old times. He chuckled bitterly. *Oh yeah, I can see Xander and Oz threatening me to kick my butt if I didn't join them. God it's boring!*  
  
"Angel, Oz, sorry to interrupt your highly interesting conversation." Cordelia smiled, as she, Buffy and Xander came back. Willow and Kristin followed quickly.  
  
"Silence saves oxygen." Oz stated, welcoming his girlfriend on his lap.  
  
"Yeah, you're the best!" the red-head murmured before leaning for a kiss.  
  
"So, we're hanging out tomorrow? I'm sure we can do something interesting." Xander suggested.  
  
"Yeah." "Sure." Some of them replied, the others nodded.  
  
"Angel, you'll be there?" Willow asked the older boy.  
  
"Actually I gotta do something. Kris, do you think Frank would mind if I borrow some of his tools?" Angel asked his sister.  
  
"Ugh." Kristin groaned, rolling her eyes. "You're not gonna try to fix that stupid motorbike again, aren't ya?"  
  
"I am. And it's not stupid." He replied.  
  
"Sure. But I don't see why you don't get rid of it, there's always something in need to be fixed in that thing!" She complained.  
  
"Well, that THING is pretty damn expensive, and I hate walking."  
  
"I don't like it, it's impossible to ride."  
  
"Then, let me remind you that YOU're the one who asked me to buy it. Also, you don't KNOW how to ride it." He told her with a mock smile.  
  
"Whatever" She muttered under her breath, crossing her arms against her chest in defeat.  
  
//And I'd give up forever to touch you  
  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
  
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be  
  
And I don't want to go home right now\\  
  
Hearing the beginning of that song, Angel cast his eyes on the floor, trying not to think about what he had been thinking ever since he entered the club. Buffy and Kristin looked at each other then at Angel.  
  
"Oh! I love that song! Come on guys!" Cordelia exclaimed, dragging Xander back to the dance floor and wrapping her arms around his neck while he put he hands on her waist and they started dancing and kissing for times to times. Willow and Oz followed soon after.  
  
//And all I can taste is this moment  
  
And all I can breathe is your life  
  
Cause sooner or later it's over  
  
I just don't want to miss you tonight\\  
  
"Angel? You're okay?" Buffy asked softly.  
  
"I'm fine." He replied absently, staring nowhere in particular, deep in thoughts.  
  
//And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am\\  
  
"Angel please say something." Kristin demanded as she sat next to him and took his hand into her own.  
  
"I'm fine Kristie don't worry. I can't help thinking about...it, that's all." He told her quietly.  
  
"Do you wanna go home with me?" His sister suggested.  
  
//And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
  
When everything seems like the movies  
  
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive  
  
And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am//  
  
"Nah, stay here, you're having fun. I'll hit the cem..." He stopped when he remembered Buffy was there too. "Streets. Go back t-to the house." He couldn't call it home. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Angel stood up and turned towards Buffy. "It was great seeing you today."  
  
"Yeah, it was." She agreed with a smile. "See you on Monday."  
  
"I can't wait." He replied, his voice deep and sexy, which made her knees weak.  
  
"Night Sis." He said, turning back towards his sister. He reached in the back pocket of his pants and threw something on the lap of his sister. "Try not to need it. It's just in case." He added with a smirk as he was leaving.  
  
"funny." Kristin rolled her eyes at the condom her brother had just given her. "Oh well, we never know." She put it in the pocket of her jacket and stood up, looking at Buffy, who was giving her weird looks. "I'm gonna dance. Feel free to join." She smiled and walked towards a crowded area of the club, leaving Buffy behind.  
  
********* 


	8. Part 8

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
8.  
  
"Mr. Connelly. It is nice to see you enter the house by the front door once in a while." Mary told Angel the next day when he showed up at 4 in the afternoon at the Parker's.  
  
"Aaaww, come on sweetheart, call me Angel." The dark haired boy replied smirking. He annoyed the hell out of his sister's maid, and he loved it.  
  
"Miss Kristin is not home at the moment, but I'll tell her that you came here." She said, about to close the door.  
  
"Hey, I won't go without a kiss babe." She winced at the nickname he used.  
  
"I'm afraid you won't have those here." She told him politely.  
  
"I guess people who say women reach their sexual peak at fifty were lying, huh?" He faked being sad, enjoying the look of disgust on the fifty year old maid.  
  
"Angel!" Frank Parker stopped Mary from replying as he approached.  
  
"Mr. Parker, hi. Kristin said it was okay that" Angel begun, shaking hands with the man.  
  
"Yes, yes, it's not a problem at all."  
  
"Well, if you don't need me anymore" Mary trailed off.  
  
"Bye honey." Angel said as the lady was leaving. He saw her stiffen and he chuckled.  
  
"Were you hitting on her again?" Frank demanded.  
  
"Did you see how hot she is? Can you blame me?" He retorted, an innocent look on his face which made Frank laugh.  
  
"Ok, let me show you my tools so you can work on that bike of yours." Frank said, leading Angel towards the garage of the house where he kept his tools.  
  
A few minutes later they came back out and walked to Angel's bike, which he had parked in front of the house.  
  
"Wow, this is a beautiful bike you got here Angel!" Frank exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks. I've had it for about three years but it never got old."  
  
"How did you...I mean I thought you were..." He was embarrassed to ask him, but couldn't help wondering.  
  
"Poor? Yeah, I am trust me. I'm dead broke. This is all I have, really. I had to work during nights, week-ends and holidays full time to be able to afford it. And I knew a few persons who made it a little easier, but it was tough work. I swear I've never worked that hard! Not even to get my car." Angel explained as he was working cautiously on the chain.  
  
"Hum...do you need any help?" Frank asked, watching the young man taking care of his bike professionally.  
  
"Er...no thanks, it's gonna be fine." He laid down on the grass after taking off his shirt, so that he was only wearing his white top, and checked under the engine.  
  
"Alright. I'll be in my office if you need anything. You can ask Mar...hum...no, just ask me, I'm sure Mary's busy." Angel looked up and grinned at the man, who left soon after.  
  
"Ok, just you and me now baby." He murmured, taking a screw-driver and fixing a few things under the engine.  
  
About one hour and a half later, a car stopped in front of the house and 6 friends got out, after a trip at the mall. "Hey Angel. How's your baby doing?" Kristin asked her brother as she knelt down next to him.  
  
"Fine, nothing's broken. I was afraid the break hoses were too sharp, but I checked them and they're fine. So I figured it was because of my old tires. I guess the snow screw them completely." Angel explained.  
  
"So what did you do about it?" Angel had explained to her how everything worked, but she didn't pay attention at the time so she didn't understand anything he said now. *He's not supposed to know that, I can fake being interested, right?*  
  
"I'll change them tomorrow. And by the way, you don't have to pretend to be interested, I know you don't give a damn and you didn't understand a word of what I just said." He replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh. Well I'm off, see you later everyone." She stood up and entered the house.  
  
Angel stood up as well. "Hi." He greeted the others.  
  
"Hi Angel." Willow said, smiling brightly. She had seen the smile her best friend and new friend had exchanged.  
  
"So...you're an expert on bikes, huh?" Cordelia commented, seeming impressed. *Guys, cars and motorbikes? What a turn on. Why can't Xander be like him?*  
  
"Kinda." He answered, taking his keys and turning the engine on. It made a low deep growl, but Angel didn't seem satisfied.  
  
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked. It was truly delightful to watch him so concentrated.  
  
"Some of the bolts are a little loose." He answered as he looked around for the right tool.  
  
"Alright, we'll go home." Xander announced. "Buffy, you comin'?"  
  
"Er...no, it's ok I'll walk."  
  
"K. See you tomorrow guys."  
  
"Bye." Angel and Buffy said in unison. When the car left the street, Buffy crouched next to Angel, who was laying under his bike again.  
  
"Can I help?"  
  
"Do you know anything about motorcycles?" He teased her, smiling.  
  
"I'll just watch." She stated sheepishly. "But you'll have to teach me how to work on those engine thingy sometime." She added as an afterthought. Angel grinned at her, nodding.  
  
"Sure, I'd love to." *She's so hot. Oh god! She leaning over! Wow, I can smell her scent...Vanilla. Nice.* "Enjoying the view?" He asked after a moment of silence. He knew she was looking at him, and especially his bare well-muscled arms. His vamps abilities were able to notice her pulse quickening.  
  
"Actually yeah, a lot." *Oh my god did I just say that?* "So...why do you have a bike?" she asked in a lame attempt to change the subject. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at Buffy without moving. He checked her out very obviously, smirking.  
  
"It's kinda so that I don't have to walk. But it's mostly because I've heard it turns girls on. Is it working?" He turned back at his work, still smirking at Buffy's shock.  
  
"Well I don't know about the bike but there's definitely some turn on material around here" she answered truthfully, although she made it seem it was as an answer of his joke. He dropped his screw-driver from the surprise of what she just said and it fell on his forehead as she chuckled.  
  
"Ouch!" He yelled half from the pain and half from the humiliation of being tricked at his own game.  
  
"You ok?" She was still chuckling.  
  
"Yeah." He groaned, sitting next to Buffy and massaging the spot where the tool hit him.  
  
"Stop it, you're putting grease on your face." She informed him, holding his wrists.  
  
"Oh shoot" He realized his hands were covered in grease from the engine. He looked at Buffy and frowned when he saw she was laughing. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You're all dirty." She took the cloth he was using for the bike and started to rub up the grease on his forehead.  
  
"It shows that I take care of engines and other dirty stuff you girls can't stand to touch. Makes me look more manly, ya know?" He joked.  
  
"You don't need to have gross black stains all over your face to look manly, believe me." She replied, her attention focused on what she was doing and NOT what she was saying.  
  
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile. Suddenly she realized she had implied she had thought about it.  
  
"Er...well...I-I-I..." she stuttered for a moment, until Angel pressed his thumb on her lips and his palm on her cheek, silencing her. She melted under his touch, but was troubled by his way too innocent look. "What?" She asked as he removed his hand. Suddenly it hit her that he had done that to put grease on her face. "Oh you JERK!" She yelled, hitting him playfully on the chest as he laughed openly. They started to squabble, laughing more and more as they succeeded to put grease on the other's face.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Kristin was watching the two at a window of her bedroom. She was completely amazed by the scene, but it brought a huge smile on her face. *It's been so long since he's laughed like that.* That was then that she was convinced their move to Sunnydale was the best thing that could ever have happened after this whole thing with Steven. And maybe it was even the best thing after their parents' betrayal and death. Yeah, he'll finally move on in Sunnydale.  
  
*****  
  
"You are so dead!" Buffy exclaimed, pushing him and he fell on his back. She straddled his waist so that he wouldn't be able to get up and put her hands on his chest, immobilizing him.  
  
"Wow, you're strong for a little girl." He commented, losing himself in her eyes.  
  
"I might have to show you how strong I am if you're a bad boy." She replied, loosing her hold on him under his deep stare.  
  
"I'd be glad to see that." He whispered as they closed the distance between them. They were millimeters apart, and they both closed their eyes, anticipating the kiss. Their lips were merely brushing when Kristin yelled at them from her room.  
  
"Buff, your mom's just around the corner. I would get up from my brother if I was you."  
  
Buffy rolled of Angel's body and stood up just as Joyce's car stopped in front of the house.  
  
"Buffy, sweetheart." She greeted her daughter from her seat.  
  
"M-Mom. What...are you doing here?" Buffy glanced nervously at Angel, who was still laying on the grass.  
  
"I met your friends on my way, they said you were here. I figured you'd rather drive home than walk."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Ok." She turned towards Angel. He was looking at her, sitting where they had been almost kissing. *Key word: almost* "I guess I'll see you at school." He nodded with a sigh. "Bye Kristin, and...thanks!"  
  
"No problem Buff!"  
  
With that, the blonde was gone and Angel collapsed on the grass in frustration.  
  
*****  
  
"So, did you have fun today?" Joyce asked her daughter.  
  
"Yeah, it was great." Buffy replied with a smile, which was not caused by their trip to the mall but by what had almost happened with Angel. *We were about to kiss. He actually was about to kiss me. He likes me, I can't believe it.*  
  
"That boy wasn't with you, was he?"  
  
"What do you mean? What boy?"  
  
"The one related to Diane's daughter."  
  
"Kristin's brother? Angel." She told her, frowning. *Why is she talking about Angel?*  
  
"Yes. Did he spend the day with you and your friend?"  
  
"No, he had to repair his motorbike. Why?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"No reason."  
  
"Mom, tell me!" Buffy insisted.  
  
"Alright, I think you shouldn't hang out with this boy."  
  
"Why?" She screamed, her eyes wide with anger. *Wow...am I overreacting? I don't need to be that upset, I just didn't understand what she...*  
  
"He is older, bad at school, doesn't respect rules. He is a bad influence and I don't want you to have troubles because of him." Joyce said firmly.  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
"Don't be upset, sweetie, I'm just saying that to protect you."  
  
"From what? From Angel? Mom, you've gotta be kidding me!"  
  
"No, I am serious. I have nothing against that boy, I only want to tell you what I've heard."  
  
"Heard? What have you heard?" They got out of the car, but Buffy wouldn't stop there.  
  
"Well, he has been expelled from school a few times, he has been in jail too. They say he causes trouble everywhere he goes. He has even spent a long time in an psychiatric institution.  
  
Buffy paused for a moment. *No, no it's not true.* "Who told you this?"  
  
"I've been to the hospital for a check up and I talked to a nurse who was complaining about him."  
  
"A nurse?"  
  
"Yes...Joann Evans. She's nice, that Angel boy causes many problems in her family. She suspects him to make moves on her daughter. The poor girl is too innocent to understand that he wants to have sex." Joyce shook her head.  
  
"Mom, you don't know anything. That girl is a real slut. He caught her having sex with some guy from school last week, in HIS bed. I'm not saying he's the perfect man, but he's had lots of problems in his life. Did you even know his parents abandoned him and Kristin just before they died? No wonder he's not the trusting sharing polite type!" Buffy retorted, really upset with her mother.  
  
"Well, he has obviously had a very bad education. Maybe it was a good thing his parents died."  
  
"Do you even hear you talking?" As Joyce was about to reply, Buffy held her hand in the air, interrupting her. "No! I don't wanna hear it. You think whatever you want, but I'm telling you: Angel is my friend, and he's a great guy. You just don't know him." She went to her room without another word.  
  
********* 


	9. Part 9

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
9.  
  
The next day, at school, the Scooby gang was reunited for a daily Scooby meeting. "What is this?" Giles asked as he watched what Buffy just gave him.  
  
"It looks like a stake." Oz stated.  
  
"Yeah. Where did you find it?" Willow questioned her best friend.  
  
"Here's the funny part. We were patrolling with Xander last night when we heard a fight. So we ran toward it. Only we were stopped by a few vamps..." Buffy began.  
  
"A few is an understatement. There was a LOT of them." Xander pointed out.  
  
"Right. So the thing is, we were fighting them when a demon came crashing just next to us."  
  
"What? He jumped?" Cordelia asked, frowning.  
  
"No. He was thrown. He crashed next to us." Buffy rectified. "We realized we had staked only like...half the vamps we had seen, 'cause the others were already dead."  
  
"Lots of dust." Xander commented.  
  
"We looked around but we were alone. And we found this" She pointed at the stake "Deep in the heart of the demon."  
  
"So there's definitely a new player in town, huh?" Jenny assumed.  
  
"This is no ordinary stake Giles. Look at it. There are inscriptions carved on it, it has a metallic handle and everything." Buffy continued.  
  
"Yes...it looks like names. A lot of names. They cover all of the stake except of the pointy part." Willow said as she was looking at the stake.  
  
"And there's an other thing written at the top right before all the names. It says 'You are our protector, we love you'. Pretty cool gift huh?" Buffy joked.  
  
"We don't know any group of people at school who are called by those names. So I say the guy's a stranger." Xander said and everyone nodded.  
  
"Yes. Hum...Buffy, this is getting serious. From now on, you will look for that person. He hangs in the cemeteries by night, you should meet him sooner or later." Giles ordered softly.  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Hey, is Kendra still alive?" Cordelia asked suddenly.  
  
"Er...I believe so. Why?" Giles answered.  
  
"It could be an other slayer." The brunette clarified. Everyone looked at Buffy with a strange look.  
  
"Hey, don't look at me like that, I didn't die again!" She defended herself.  
  
"I'll ask Kendra's watcher if anything happened. Now go to class." The watcher advised everyone.  
  
*****  
  
"Wow, what's wrong?" Kristin asked Angel when she saw him at school that morning.  
  
"I lost my stake." He replied, obvious pain in his eyes.  
  
"The one we all got you for your birthday?"  
  
"Yeah. I killed a demon with it last night, then I saw vampires running away so I went to kill them, and by the time I came back to get the stake, the demon had morphed into some king of weird slime thing, and the stake was gone." He whined like a little boy. The thing was that he loved that stake. When he had been locked up in that institution for three months last summer, his gangs from New York and Los Angeles had joined to carve a special stake for his birthday, which was in the middle of July. It was especially made for his hand, with a metallic handle and everyone's signature carved on the length.  
  
"I'm sorry, I know it meant the world for you." Kristin smiled softly. And it DID mean the world to him. By the time his birthday arrived, he had just learnt that he would move to Sunnydale, and was feeling completely depressed and lonely. That gift stood for all of his friends, his family, who would always be there for him and loved him.  
  
"I called Spike yesterday." Angel informed his sister as he made his way to his locker.  
  
"Oh yeah? How's it going on the East coast?"  
  
"They're fine. They had troubles with Jackson's new gang for a few months, but Spike eventually kicked them out of Manhattan. Now the business is slow, which is what he complains about. Faith says hi by the way."  
  
"Oh cool." Kristin liked Faith. She had been one of her best friends in New York, she could relate to her because she ran away from her alcoholic mother in Boston and came to New York without anything. She was nice. A little wild, but hey, that's what Spike loved about her, anyway. "What about Gunn? He's doing alright taking your place in LA?"  
  
"He manages. A few days ago he almost begged me to come back one time and take care of some business, but I'm sure he did it fine. I don't wanna have to go back every time there's something that doesn't work fine, Gunn will never be accepted as the leader otherwise. I trust him, that's why I passed him the responsibility of everything. Anyway, Penn came back yesterday from his trip, everything's fine."  
  
Kristin decided to change the subject. "I saw Buffy this morning."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"She was wondering why you weren't with me." She informed him with a grin.  
  
"She was?" He couldn't believe it. He had played what had happened the day before over and over again in his mind, he didn't get over the fact that she had almost kissed him.  
  
"When will you ask her out bro?"  
  
"Honestly, I don't know. I could do it...I mean if her mother hadn't shown up we would have kissed. But I can't take her to the restaurant 'cause I'm completely broke and I'm saving for my apartment anyway, and I WON'T accept money from you."  
  
"Why don't you just take her to the Bronze or something?"  
  
"It wouldn't be right, I don't dance and she would want to." He disagreed.  
  
"You used to dance. Angel you're a great dancer why don't you do like old times?"  
  
"Because it's over." Angel snapped angrily at her, hurt that she could even ask. "It's different now. I can't enjoy myself like this again. I used to do it all the time, and Steven was ALWAYS with me. It was a best-friend kind of thing. I can't do it without my best friend. I don't wanna do it now that I'm alone." Kristin couldn't find anything to reply, so he walked past her toward his English class, feeling even more depressed than before. He knew it was stupid to feel so bad about losing his stake, but it was almost the only thing that connected him with his friends. Ok, Kristin had thousands of pictures, because her dream is being a photographer so she takes pictures of anything that moves, but pictures were another deal. On half the pictures, Steven was beside him, he so didn't need to be reminded of that time.  
  
*****  
  
"Angel?" Buffy repeated a third time. This time he finally looked up, startled. The girl that haunted his dreams lately was sitting on the chair right in front of his, and was smiling at him sweetly.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Hi." He told her, almost in a whisper.  
  
"You ok? 'Cause you're not usually mister 10 minutes early." She teased.  
  
"Er...yeah. I had a bad night."  
  
"So I see."  
  
"What?" He asked, surprised.  
  
"You've got an other black eye." She remarked, tracing the outlines of his eye with her pointing finger. He was clearly surprised that she noticed it.  
  
"How do you do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"See that I got a black eye when it's almost gone." He clarified, obvious to the fact that her finger was still on his face.  
  
"Habit." She answered simply, making him even more curious. "So how did you get it?"  
  
"Er...accident. With my bike. I-I lost control. Ran into a...tree." He lied lamely. *What was I supposed to say? A demon punched me?*  
  
"Does it hurt?" She placed her palm on his cheek and caressed softly his brow with her thumb.  
  
"Not anymore." He whispered, staring intently at her with a smile.  
  
She grinned. *God I love it when he's flirting with me!* As she removed her hand, he quickly took it in his, intertwining fingers. "You look tired." She remarked.  
  
"I kinda stayed up all night. Couldn't sleep." He answered truthfully.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Nightmares."  
  
"And what about?"  
  
"You?" He grinned raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Hey!" She complained, hitting him softly on the arm. "I only cause dreams. I am not nightmare material! I resent that!"  
  
*She's so cute.* "Well, maybe it was a dream and I couldn't get you out of my mind all night." He flirted.  
  
"Maybe?" She flirted back, licking her suddenly dry lips. Just as he was about to reply, Mr. Peterson entered the class, interrupting their conversation.  
  
*****  
  
Later that morning, in the middle of chemistry class, Principal Snyder entered the lab. He exchanged a few words with the teacher, and looked directly at Angel, who had been talking with Cordelia about basketball, and had been surprised to see he was enjoying talking with the Brunette. Well, as long as they were talking about his favorite sport, 'cause she was scary when it came to shopping.  
  
"Mr. Connelly. I'd like to have a word with you." Snyder announced coldly.  
  
"Great, my first meeting with the principal. I missed those." He murmured as he stood up.  
  
"Don't worry, he seems intimidating at first, but he's just a tiny dwarf, he won't do anything to you." Cordelia whispered to her lab partner.  
  
"It's ok Cordy, I'm used to stick around in the Principal's office. It gets fun after the fiftieth time." He whispered back with a half smile, before he followed Snyder out of the classroom.  
  
When they reached the office, Angel plopped down on the chair and sighed heavily.  
  
"What did I do?" He asked innocently. Actually, it was different from the countless times he had been in a Principal's office before, now he really didn't know what he had done.  
  
"Nothing. YET." Snyder answered as he sat on his chair behind his desk. "I received a call from the social services a few days ago. They wanted to talk about you."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Probably because of your little trip in the hospital last summer." Snyder smirked.  
  
*Fucking bastard.* "So...what did they want?"  
  
"They insisted that you participated in an activity outside of school. Sport, clubs, whatever that could help you focus on anything besides spreading havoc around school and slicing your wrists." Snyder informed him with a smirk at the end.  
  
*I swear I'll kill him before the end of the year* Angel was particularly annoyed by his superior look. The bastard obviously loved screwing his students' lives. As the dark-haired boy remained silent, the Principal explained HIS point of view. "I don't really care that you respect the wishes of the social services, BUT, I'll make a deal with you."  
  
Angel grinned. "Trying to corrupt me Mr. Snyder?"  
  
"As I was saying" the short man ignored his remark. "I don't want to mess with a governmental institution because of this, so I'm asking you to follow orders for once."  
  
"What's up? You're ashamed to say you need me, sir?" Angel chuckled under his breath as Snyder shot icy glares towards him.  
  
"6 of our basketball players have been attacked last Sunday night while they were in the streets, all of them ended up in the hospital, and they won't be out before at least three months. Also, the coach is out of town for a few weeks. There is a very important game for Sunnydale in a little more than a month. We need players, at least one more so that we can have a full team."  
  
"So you thought about me. How touching." Angel replied sarcastically.  
  
"You better accept my offer Mr. Connelly." Snyder stated coldly.  
  
"Or what? You'll report it to the goddamn social services?"  
  
Snyder remained silent for a moment, going through his papers. "I read your file. I know you are as good at basketball as you are at causing trouble. I spoke with the principal of your last school, and after his long whining about your unspeakable behavior, he relented to say you were an amazingly talented basketball player. Before I knew it he was bragging about all the games you helped winning thanks to your incredible capacity to score a 3 pointers from the very end of the field at the last second."  
  
"Jeez, you're making me blush sir." Angel rolled his eyes. Only a moron like his former principal was able to hate him with such intensity and passion as a student and admire him so much when he was holding a basketball. Suddenly, the bell rang, announcing the end of that period and also the lunch break.  
  
"Angel? What do you think of my offer?"  
  
"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"Then I accept. I wouldn't want to disappoint a polite man with a good heart like yourself, would I?"  
  
"Follow me." Snyder commended, his glare more and more intense as they left the office.  
  
Angel followed Snyder reluctantly around the crowded corridors of the school, to an area with couches and chairs not far from the cafeteria.  
  
"They are always at the same place. Always in groups, packed in so-called gangs. This is pitiful." Snyder groaned under his breath as he made his way towards a group of people. Angel didn't recognize anyone except Cordelia.  
  
"Chase, Martin, Lowell and West." Snyder called for their attention. The four of them stopped their chat and turned toward their principal.  
  
"Yes sir?" Percy West spoke.  
  
"In case you don't know who this young man is, this is Angel Connelly. He has been transferred from Los Angeles" As Snyder was briefly introducing Angel, the annoyed demon hunter was calmly walking away hands in his pockets, the older man oblivious that the student had left. Cordy, Hogan, Brad and Percy had noticed the boy leaving and had to bite their lips to keep from laughing. Eventually, Snyder looked over at where Angel had been standing and saw he was gone. Much to the four remaining students' surprise, Snyder didn't say anything. He merely shook his head before talking again. "When you see that boy, try to talk to him. He's joining the team. He's an official Sunnydale High basketball player for now on. He shall participate in every practices and meetings and games. Got it?"  
  
"Got it." The four answered in unison, as Snyder was leaving.  
  
"How the hell does Snyder expect us to win the game if the first loser he sees join the team?" Brad, one of the best players, asked Cordy, Hogan the captain of the team, and Percy.  
  
"Wow! Angel is my friend, buddy!" Cordelia snapped at him. "I might not have known him for a long time, but I know enough to guess that he's a pretty good player. He's been playing for years at school."  
  
"I've got nothing against the guy, but we have no more replacements, so he better be good. You talk to him, get him on the field this afternoon after school." Percy told Cordelia. He wanted to believe the cheerleader, but he couldn't help the idea that a guy chosen by Snyder wouldn't be their best shot at winning the state championships.  
  
********* 


	10. Part 10

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
10.  
  
*Oh finally I found him!* Cordelia thought as she spotted Angel after school. She caught up with him quickly and made him turn around. "Hey Angel!"  
  
"What do you want?" He asked sighing.  
  
"Look, I don't know why Snyder made you join the team, but you were thinking about it anyway, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You've got a meeting with the guys on the field now. You better go if you want my opinion." She advised, smiling sweetly.  
  
"I don't know Cordelia...I don't like being the center of attention."  
  
"Well, it's now friendlily or later with a kick in the butt from Snyder." She half-joked.  
  
"Alright, I'll go. Do you mind showing me the way?" He asked, smiling. He liked that girl. She could be amazingly annoying most of the time, but she was also able to be fun and nice. She reminded him of Faith in some way. The bitchy behavior that was hiding a soft heart. But she was way less dark and rebellious than Faith. Still, when Cordelia was focused on basketball, Angel liked her. As surprising as he thought it was, he would be glad to be her friend. Although, if she started talking about make-up, clothes and dates, he knew he would be the first one to run.  
  
As Cordelia was leading Angel to the basketball field, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Oz saw them. They were smiling at each other and even laughing at the comments the brunette was making of Angel's new co-players. The slayer felt as if someone had punched her in the face seeing the two of them together, and Xander's dislike for the new boy was coming out again.  
  
"What does he think he's doing?" He snarled angrily, making the other jump.  
  
"Nothing!" Willow blurted suddenly, hoping Buffy wasn't thinking what she was sure she was thinking. "They're just talking. Having a nice conversation. Nothing to worry about. Cause Cordy's with Xander. And she's not Angel's type."  
  
"What do you know of Angel's type?" Xander asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well...he has a thing for blondes. Not brunettes. Kristin kinda told me that two days ago." Willow admitted.  
  
"I gotta go." Buffy murmured softly. She left quickly, tears threatening to fall. *He doesn't give a damn about me. He likes Cordelia, not me. Cordelia. Cordelia and not me. Why not me?* She was dead jealous of Cordelia. *I know why. Because she's miss popular, she has time to date, to go shopping. I'm always busy with slaying, everyone sees me as a freak of nature. Angel too. God this is so unfair!*  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Cordelia and Angel had reached the practice fields, where the whole basketball team was talking and the cheerleaders were stretching not far from them. "Good luck Angel. I've got a cheerleading practice, otherwise I would have stayed to support you." Queen C told Angel with a bright smile.  
  
"Okay. I'll see you later." He murmured as he made his way towards his new co-players.  
  
"So. That's THE replacement for our SIX injured players, huh?" Some tall blond guy said.  
  
"Yeah, Snyder's choice, man." Brad replied, shaking his head.  
  
"Hi Angel. It's cool you could make it." Hogan greeted him with a smile, shaking his hand.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Angel answered shrugging. Hogan and Percy introduced Angel to every guy of the team, some of them seemed ready to give him a chance, but most of them were not.  
  
"So, we usually come everyday after school here to practice for an hour, and 2 hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We" Hogan started to explain, but he was interrupted by a chuckle from Angel.  
  
"What?" Percy asked, frowning.  
  
"Wait...you actually expect me to come over to...practice every day? You kidding right?" He asked, his tone relatively neutral. He seemed a little amused by that fact though.  
  
"Why?" Hogan was surprised, as were the others.  
  
"Er...because...I won't." Angel answered simply.  
  
"What about what Snyder said, man?" Percy reminded him.  
  
"I really couldn't care less about whatever he said."  
  
"But you don't have a choice. That's how it works, we gotta practice." Hogan replied.  
  
"Well I've got better things to do." Angel stated before he started to walk away. He was interrupted by Brad, who raised his voice dangerously, attracting the attention of the cheerleaders.  
  
"Hey dumb ass! You really think you're better than us? You think you're a pro?" Angel turned around and glared at the boy. "Well you know what? Why don't you show us why you don't need practice. We make a deal."  
  
"Right, 'cause I didn't make enough deals today." Angel grumbled, but Brad had his attention.  
  
"You pass the test, you do things your way." Brad started, grinning. He would truly enjoy seeing that guy making a fool of himself.  
  
"That means no everyday practices?" Angel asked, wanting to make things clear before engaging himself in a bet. He had learned that from the streets.  
  
"Well, you really need to show up once in a while." Hogan added. Everybody knew what the test was, and they were sure he would fail.  
  
"Alright. What's the test?"  
  
"You've got one shot to score." Brad told him. As Angel looked at him in disbelief, he added the last part of the deal with a smirk. "From the opposite side of the field."  
  
"Angel!" Cordelia called him. "You don't need to do that, just accept to go to practice, it won't kill you!"  
  
"I'm in, man." Angel told Brad as he took off his jacket so that he was only wearing a white t-shirt. He took the ball from Percy and walked to the spot Brad was showing him, at the end of the field, ignoring the chuckles and jokes he received from some guys. He stopped and made the ball bounce a few times.  
  
"We're all watching my friend!" Brad called. Indeed, both teams, the basketball players and the cheerleaders, were watching Angel. The dark- haired demon hunter looked at the basket on the other side briefly. He made the ball bounce once, twice, three times, before he threw it in the air professionally. Then he put his hands in his pockets, sighing. Everyone except Angel jumped in surprise when they saw the ball landing perfectly into the basket. After a beat, every head turned toward Angel, who was already making his way back.  
  
"That was incredible man!" Hogan exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Yeah, like he said. Wow!" Percy added, and a few others congratulated him too. Angel shrugged and took his jacket in one hand, ignoring the stunned boys and girls around him.  
  
"I guess I won't see you soon then." He simply stated, smiling at Brad. Not leaving him time to answer, Angel walked to his motorbike and took off.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Oz, Cordelia and Kristin were hanging in the corridor of Sunnydale High, talking about their plans for the next week-end. Kristin had accepted to invite everyone for a sleep-over the whole week-end, seeing her foster parents were in Chicago for a few days. Buffy was still mad at Cordelia for the way she and Angel had acted around each other the day before, but she tried not to show it. Xander had acted as if nothing had happened, but Buffy and Willow were convinced he was jealous of Angel.  
  
Anyway, Cordelia was oblivious of her friends' feelings, and when she saw Angel entering the building, she got totally excited. "Oh my god! Don't wait for me guys, I'll see you in class!" She told them before running to meet Angel as he was about to turn in another corridor. "Angel!" She called at him to make him stop, which he did. He smiled slightly when he saw Cordelia, who was wearing a huge grin.  
  
"Hi Cordy." He greeted her softly.  
  
"Oh my god Angel! Yesterday, that was SO fantastic!" She told him excitedly, hurrying him in a quick hug. He looked at her with an amused half smile on his face when she pulled away. He didn't know the others were watching them.  
  
"Er...thanks. I guess." He replied, his hands back in his pockets.  
  
"Where did you learn to throw a ball like that? It was amazing!"  
  
"Hum...practice. I've been playing ever since I'm 8." He answered truthfully, although he didn't show any particular emotion. He was being polite, not bragging.  
  
"You totally threw Brad on his ass! He's always the guy who wants everyone to know he's the best, but he made a fool of himself with that test, it was precious!"  
  
"Well I'm glad." He answered, grinning. Yeah, he had enjoyed THAT part.  
  
*****  
  
"What in the world can they be talking about?" Xander asked, obviously jealous.  
  
"I have no idea. Cordelia and Angel sharing a conversation? It's like an other dimension." Willow answered, trying to cheer Buffy up. There wasn't much she could say, though. The red-head had listened to Buffy's complains all evening when they were on the phone, and she had tried to comfort her and stop her sobs, but she was running out of ideas.  
  
"Hey, don't look at me like that, I don't know!" Kristin said seeing everyone's gaze on her. "I haven't seen my brother since yesterday morning. I called him yesterday afternoon but he was late because he had a job appointment, but he didn't say anything else. He wasn't home at night, but it's not the first time, he does that very often. I'm as surprised as you guys."  
  
*****  
  
"Look Cordy, I don't mind talking to you, but I've gotta see Miss Calendar, the computer teacher. Do you know where her office is?" Angel asked, checking his watch.  
  
"Oh yeah. I've got a class with her in like 5 minutes, I'll take you there." She offered with a smile.  
  
********* 


	11. Part 11

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
11.  
  
Cordelia led Angel to Jenny's office, stepping out of the sight of their friends. The brunette wasn't interested in Angel the way Xander and Buffy thought, though. Sure, it had crossed her mind, but after a few minutes of thinking, she figured she was happy with Xander. Angel was the definition of a Greek God, hell yeah, and he was obviously a fantastic basketball player, but he was way too broody and mono-syllabic for her likings. It was just nice to have him as a friend.  
  
"Come on in!" The friendly teacher said from her seat in front of her computer, finishing typing her notes for a class. Angel entered the office silently, looking around for a moment before looking at Miss Calendar, hands in pockets. "Well hello!"  
  
"Er...hi. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to talk to you...if it's ok." Angel said calmly.  
  
"Sure Angel. What can I do for you?" She smiled kindly. Angel intended her class, and she had noticed that he was a lot smarter with computers than he seemed at first. He was doing...well basically nothing in class. Jenny enjoyed very much annoying her students who didn't make an effort at all, by embarrassing them in front of the whole class with a tricky question about computers, but much to her surprise, Angel had always managed to answer perfectly, making her the embarrassed one. He looked like he enjoyed that a lot, and she loved challenges. Jenny had taken a liking in that mysterious new boy.  
  
Angel sat in front of her and leaned slightly on the desk. "I know I don't work at all during your classes." He started, feeling somehow uncomfortable that he had to be honest and everything with a stranger. And a teacher.  
  
"Really?" She asked sarcastically, grinning openly. That made him less nervous and he answered by a small smile.  
  
"Yeah, but it's just 'cause it's what I do."  
  
"Not working at school?"  
  
"Exactly. It's a rule, and don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna bail on it. It suits me." He stated, shrugging.  
  
"Oh, well what can I possibly do for you if you insist on not working?"  
  
"I'm a challenge and you love it." He explained simply, making her smile. "And the not working part, it's just at school. Which leads me to my point here. I'm sure you read my file. Snyder made it clear to me that the whole faculty knew that I was...what were his words? Oh yeah, a post-pubescent underachiever."  
  
"He's so nice." Jenny sighed, amused.  
  
"Anyway, I kinda thought about going to you for help, 'cause you're the only teacher who doesn't look at me with pity drooling all over your face."  
  
"I love your way to admit that you like me." She stated, curious about what he was about to ask her and pleased that he trusted her enough to come.  
  
"I'm 18 now, so I'm allowed to live on my own, even though I'm doomed to have the social services on my back for years. But I'm broke. Last year...the persons who were in charge of me were not so bad and they used to give me money for dates, lunch and stuff. But now...the Evans are not the ones to share."  
  
"Why do you wanna live on your own?" She questioned him, getting serious seeing it was an obviously important matter.  
  
Angel remained silent for a moment, trying to decide if it was not stupid to share too much with her. He had been thinking a lot about Miss Calendar lately, and it disturbed him that he felt like he could share everything with her. She was beautiful, kind, generous...and he liked that a lot, but he couldn't help feeling it was wrong to feel this way. And it was hard for him to admit that he didn't appreciate those feelings he had towards Jenny because he already felt this way about another woman. Eventually he figured that the fact that she could be able to help him was worth the try. "I don't want to live with anyone but with my parents or my sister. Kristin is living with her dream family and I don't wanna intrude. So alone it is. Not that I complain, it's what I want, but I need money to get that apartment."  
  
"Okay, I understand, but how could I help you?"  
  
"Er...I was thinking you could...maybe need a little help...with anything. I don't know much in Sunnydale yet, so you're the only person I could think of. Well, not the only, but the other job I got is paying enough for the rent of the apartment only, and I need stuff...food is kinda important. I've heard of the virus that has contaminated the computers of the school and that is starting to destroy important files."  
  
"Yes, it is an amazingly tough one. I've been working for weeks on a program to get rid of it before it starts destroying every file the administration keeps on students, but I just can't seem to find it." Jenny told him, sighing.  
  
"So you could use a little help. Right?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes. She chuckled slightly at his suggestion. She did believe he was better with computers than he showed, but she doubted he could succeed in something she didn't.  
  
"Look, I appreciate Angel, but it is one of the most complicated virus I've seen. I'll talk to other teachers to see if they need help with something, if you want."  
  
"Thanks, but no. I don't wanna be the butt-monkey of some Snyder-wannabe. What do you say...if I can get rid of that virus and save every single file you already lost...would you pay me? 'Cause I've already started my job at the garage yesterday, I just need money to pay for food so that I can move in as soon as possible."  
  
"Wow. You certainly don't like to wait." She remarked, impressed.  
  
"If you had to live with Hannibal Lector's relatives, you would too." He smirked.  
  
"Okay, I'll leave you one chance. Meet me at the computer lab after lunch, and we'll see how good you are, champ." She said, standing up to go to her class.  
  
"Thanks, I really appreciate."  
  
*****  
  
Later that day, Buffy was walking to the computer lab, where Giles had sent her to give Jenny some old musty book his girlfriend wanted to borrow. She entered the room and spotted Jenny at her desk, talking to some guy she had classes with. "Hi." She made herself known with a little smile.  
  
"Oh, hello Buffy." Jenny replied. She handed the guy a file, thanked him and he was gone. That's when Buffy realized there was someone else in the room, sitting with his back at her on a desk at the other side of the class. He had his feet crossed on the table, the keypad on his lap and was typing amazingly quickly for her opinion. Well, she never remembered where all the letters were, so whenever she saw someone actually typing without having a look at the keypad, she was amazed. Although, at this moment, she was more staring at Angel's hands, his legs, the back of his head, the way his black shirt hung to his muscles on his back and arms...  
  
"He's yummy, isn't he?" Jenny whispered in Buffy's ear. The young slayer had not heard Jenny when she called at her, so the teacher had followed her gaze, to Angel.  
  
"What?" Buffy jumped in surprise.  
  
"Angel. What a hottie, he's so sexy." She told her student and friend, with a bright teasing smile.  
  
"Miss Calendar, are you forgetting you are involved with a certain British librarian?" Buffy answered playfully.  
  
"I was just reading your mind. Don't tell me you're not thinking about going over him, sit on his muscled thighs, lick his bottom lip and pinch his firm butt."  
  
"Oh my god! Jenny, how can you say that!" Buffy retorted, her eyes wide open.  
  
"Come on, just looking at the way you were staring at him I could tell you've got a huge crush on the boy. So spill. Naughty thoughts about his computer skills?"  
  
"Hell yeah." Buffy admitted, sighing deeply. "Anyway, here's the book you wanted to borrow from Giles."  
  
"Oh thanks. And he asked me to let him try to get rid of the virus on the school computers." Jenny answered as she was flipping through the book.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Angel. I'm sure you were wondering what he was doing here." Jenny grinned.  
  
"Hey Buffy." The blonde heard the sweet honey voice of Angel and turned around to look at him.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Are you going home?" Angel asked her.  
  
"Er...yeah. In a few minutes."  
  
"Would you mind if I walked you home? I need to go talk to the Parkers so I figured I could...you know...go with you." He asked, mentally crossing his fingers.  
  
"Sure. I'd like that." Buffy answered, a broad smile on her face. With a smile on his own, Angel turned back to the computer. About five minutes later, Jenny and Buffy were interrupted in their conversation by noise coming from Angel's computer. They went over to see that Angel was grinning, his arms crossed over his chest. They looked at the screen, where files were flying all around, then it stopped and the computer screen turned normal again.  
  
"Oh my god!" Jenny exclaimed, taking Angel's seat and going through a few files to check if Angel had actually succeeded. "I can't believe it! You did it! You even saved the files we had lost! How did you do that?"  
  
"Well, it was not that complicated. Anyone could have done it" Angel teased with a half smile.  
  
"You are amazing! How did you know how to..." She trailed of, unable to finish her sentence from the surprise.  
  
"Like you said. I'm amazing." Angel joked, grinning as he saw Buffy smiling at him. "So I did it, right? You said you agreed that if I could get rid of the virus you would...you know."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Give me a second." Jenny left the two of them to get her purse.  
  
"So...you're like a computer genius or something?" Buffy asked Angel.  
  
"Or something."  
  
"Then how did you know what to do?" She insisted. Much to her surprise, Angel leaned over her with a smirk.  
  
"I created that virus with a bunch of friends last year. But it's a secret, ok?" He admitted in a whisper against her ear, which made her shiver from the feel of his breath on her skin.  
  
"Did you put it in the computer to get money from stopping it?" She asked before she could stop herself.  
  
"No, I didn't. I'm over my hacker phase." He answered, staring at her lips with lusty thoughts about them in his mind. Before they could do anything else, Jenny came back and handed Angel his money.  
  
*****  
  
"I just don't get it Kristin!" Willow told the brunette over the phone that evening. "Buffy called this afternoon and she told me that Angel had asked her to walk home with her. They even hold hands again and everything!"  
  
"Did he kiss her before he left?" Kristin asked her partner in matchmaking.  
  
"No, but she doesn't know if he was about to do it, 'cause she heard her mom move around in the house and she freaked that Joyce would see them."  
  
"Damn, can you say worst timing?"  
  
"Well, as I was saying, I don't understand those two. They're both crazy about each other but they don't act on it! Why don't they go on a date or just kiss for goodness' sake?!"  
  
"I guess they're afraid the other will brush them off. Well, at least I know Angel is. He's been through hell the last few months 'cause of a girl, and he's trouble moving on. I'm not sure he would handle it very well if Buffy rejected him."  
  
"She's not gonna! He's all she can think about!" Willow almost shouted in frustration. Her best friend was really great, but sometimes she could be so stubborn.  
  
"I know that."  
  
"Did you tell him to come over this week-end?"  
  
"Well, I asked him what he would be doing, and he said he would put away his stuff in his new apartment. He's moving in on Friday evening. So it's a no."  
  
"Oh." Willow was a little disappointed. She had hoped that if they saw each other more...  
  
"Anyway, all that deal with Cordelia, it was nothing. Snyder made Angel join the basketball team, and Cordelia helped him a little since she's a cheerleader. I asked him and he said they were just friends."  
  
"Yeah, I know. They talked about it this afternoon and Buffy said he had told her he thought that Cordelia was nice but she wasn't his type."  
  
"His type is the blondes."  
  
"Which works out pretty well for us, since Buffy is blonde." Willow pointed out.  
  
********* 


	12. Part 12

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
12.  
  
"Aura! Aura, you have to come see him!" Harmony was completely excited. She ran into Willow as she made her way toward her friend but ignored it.  
  
"What are you talking about Harmony?" Aura exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You know Angel, right?" The moment his name came out of her mouth, five of her friends were listening too, plus Buffy and Willow, who were standing nearby.  
  
"Angel? Jeez, I'm not sure. Are you talking about the hunk that scored from the opposite side of the court, wearing only a t-shirt which made his abs look absolutely irresistible? No, I don't know him." Aura replied sarcastically "What about Angel?"  
  
"I saw him, just a minute ago. He's working at the garage."  
  
"Wow, that's absolutely fabulous Harmony." An other girl said, looking bored.  
  
"Oh, but I didn't tell you the best part." Harmony grinned.  
  
"what is it?"  
  
"Well...he's working...on a Mercedes Benz, covered in grease, in leather pants, and...shirtless! He's got a tattoo on the right shoulder!" Harmony almost shouted, making every other girl gasp, both from her voice and from the news.  
  
"Let's go see the hottie!" Aura suggested. They all followed Harmony away from school.  
  
"So Buffy...what do you say, you and me go meet Angel at the garage? 'Cause you'll get to see him shirtless, and I'll get to see Harmony and the Harmonettes madly jealous." Willow asked Buffy a moment later.  
  
"Why would they be jealous?" The slayer replied, already knowing the answer. But she loved it so much to hear it...  
  
"Because Angel's crazy about you and every single time you guys talk you're all" She started mimicking them "Buffy, you're so great! Can I drive you home with my hot sport bike? I would love to, and I hope you'll kiss me goodbye this time Angel. Oh Buffy, I want it so much, but your mom always come at the wrong time! Really, you want me Angel? Oh yeah, totally, I wish I could grab you and kiss you and make love to you right in the middle of the class Buffy." Both girls laughed as they followed the path Harmony and the other girls took.  
  
*****  
  
"Hi Angel!" Harmony chirped when they reached the place she was talking about. Angel was indeed very much shirtless, he was working on the engine of a white convertible. He frowned when he saw the girls (all 7 of them) around him, smiling brightly at him or staring at his bare chest.  
  
*Fuck* "Er...hi. Do you need...something?" He asked them, wishing they weren't there just for him.  
  
"Can we ask you a few questions?" Harmony continued, moving very much next to him much to his annoyance.  
  
*Fuck, fuck* "What about?" He tried to be polite, he really tried.  
  
"Oh, you know...Cars, bikes...your bike...you."  
  
*Fuck, fuck, fuck* "Why?" He returned his attention on the engine after he picked a screw-driver the right size.  
  
"Because you are fairly new in Sunnydale, and we noticed you didn't make any friends."  
  
"I made friends." He disagreed, still not tearing his gaze from his work.  
  
"Really? You mean cool people and not those losers?"  
  
"What losers?"  
  
"Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg. Well, at least you know Cordelia. She might be dating the moron, but she still has a fashion sense."  
  
"They're not losers." He simply replied.  
  
"Hey Harm, he does hang a little with Hogan and Percy now that he's in the team. He had lunch with them today." Aura told Harmony.  
  
*What are they? Spies?* He thought, wishing they would just leave him alone.  
  
"That's great. But Angel, you need to hang a little more with us. Maybe we could go on a date sometime, I'd introduce you to the cool persons at school." Harmony replied, moving even closer next to Angel. At that, he couldn't help but glare at her.  
  
*Is this the same girl I turned down weeks ago? Damn, I thought I had been rude on that one, why is she still trying?*  
  
Suddenly, Harmony and Aura, who had been standing next to him, were pushed away. Angel looked up and grinned when he saw Buffy and her best friend.  
  
"Hey sweetheart!" Buffy greeted, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek...actually more on the corner of his lips. But it was enough to make the others believe she had kissed him full on the lips. She beamed when he also wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close to his body.  
  
"Hi Buffy." They exchanged an amused smile at their game, there was no need to look at the girls to understand they were really mad.  
  
"Could you NOT put your hands on my butt Angel? I don't want any grease or oil stain on my pants. It was already hard enough to clean all that stuff you put on my face last Sunday." Buffy warned him playfully.  
  
"Aaaww, I'm sorry about that baby. I just can't help touching you." He apologized, caressing her nose with his own. When they started staring into each other's eyes, Willow figured it was the good time to enjoy herself, too.  
  
"Hey Harmony. What are you doing here? You car is broken or something?" She exclaimed, and Buffy and Angel looked at Harmony too.  
  
"Er...no...I just meant to say hi to Angel. He seemed lonely." She answered nervously, still shocked.  
  
"That's so sweet of you Harmony!" Buffy replied with a big smile, the one that said "I'm in that guy's arms and you're not." She started playing with Angel's hair behind his head with one hand, as her other hand traveled downstairs and rested on his butt, making sure Harmony and the others saw her. Angel was stunned by her move, but he was far too glad she was in his arms and had her small hand on his ass to say anything.  
  
"Yeah, well I'm like that. Er...so...you guys are dating?" She asked, frowning. To illustrate her question, Angel moved his head down towards Buffy's neck and shoulder, and Buffy figured he would stay here and make everyone think he was kissing her. However, much to her surprise and her delight, he didn't pretend to do it. He did.  
  
*Oh god! Oh god he's kissing my neck! He's kissing my neck! Wait...no, he's not kissing anymore...he's licking! Oh shit, that feels so good!* When Angel moved his lips to the sensitive spot behind her ear, she couldn't help the moaning that came out of her mouth, and she felt Angel smile against her skin.  
  
"What do you think Harm?" Willow answered her question with a huge grin. Harmony made a weird noise of disgust hearing Buffy moaning and stormed away, followed by her friends. Willow waited for an other minute, trying to control her urge to do a little victory dance. "Er...guys? You can stop the PDA now, they're gone."  
  
"Oh...y-y-yeah...right." Buffy stuttered, turning red from what happened. They might have been a little carried away with the fake-not-so-fake kissing.  
  
"Thank you so much for that guys. You saved my life." Angel told them with a half smile that would have sent Buffy over the edge if she hadn't already passed the damn edge when she touched his bare chest.  
  
"Oh, don't get false ideas. I did it mostly to see Harmony and her group's reaction and Buffy...well, she seemed to have enjoyed herself." Willow replied, grinning like an idiot and receiving a glare from Buffy. "Alright, I'm off, guys. See ya soon." She ran away, leaving Buffy and Angel alone. Very, very much alone.  
  
"So...how about I show you how an engine work as you asked me last Sunday, huh?" Suggested Angel as he returned his attention on his work.  
  
"Sure." She replied, moving closer to him to get a better view. *No staring Summers, ok? Don't stare at his chest. His hands. His abs. His back. His tattoo. His lips. His butt. Holy shit his butt looks so good with leather. Although I bet it looks even better in boxers...or without the boxers...No! Bad, bad, bad Buffy!*  
  
"Come here. You'll do it and I'll help ya." He grabbed her gently by the hip with one hand and moved her at his former place, as he took a step back so that he was standing right behind her. He softly pressed himself against her so that he could have a look over her shoulder and slipped his arms around her waist so that he could control her gestures with his hands. Then he started explaining briefly what everything was, showing her what tools were used and what were their names. After a few minutes, he gave her the screw-driver he had been working with before she arrived and told her what to do with it, guiding her movements with his hands. "You're doing great." He whispered in her ear, making her shiver from the extreme closeness of his body and his face against her ear.  
  
"Thanks...but it's easy with you doing everything. You're just using my fingers to keep from getting grease on yours." She teased him.  
  
"You complaining?" He asked in a mock-hurt tone as he was slowly loosening his grasp on her body.  
  
"Nope, no complaining here!" She exclaimed, pressing her body back against his and making him smile.  
  
"I'm moving in my new apartment next Thursday, you know?" He informed her as they resumed their work.  
  
"Oh, that's too bad, you won't get to catch naked blond girls in your bed anymore." She teased him, referring to his misadventure with Joey.  
  
"You're sure about that?" He replied in a velvet voice that made her insides melt. He would have preferred to say *You're wrong, 'cause YOU'll be naked in my bed*, but somehow he doubted she would have liked it. "Anyway, you're doing something on Friday night?"  
  
"I don't know...why?" She asked, full of hope.  
  
"I was thinking...that maybe you could come over...to help me move in. I've got plenty of boxes full of my stuff at the Evans, and you could...help me unpack them at my apartment. I'll carry the heavy stuff as a manly guy and you'll tell me where to put it. I suck at decorating, so I could do with a little help from a girl. And then we could watch a movie on TV, or talk or...whatever."  
  
"Why don't you ask your sister if you need help decorating?" After she asked, she felt her breath caught in her throat as he rested his chin on her shoulder and gently caressed her hands and forearms.  
  
"Because I want to do it with you." He simply answered, both forgetting about the dark leaking engine of the white convertible. Buffy turned around in his arms, putting her hands on his sides. They stared in each other's eyes for a long time, and when they finally closed their eyes and let their lips brush...  
  
"Buffy!" A voice a little too familiar to Buffy was heard from across the street. Buffy and Angel both sighed in frustration and opened their eyes.  
  
"Giles. How NICE to see you." Buffy stressed sarcastically on the 'nice' as she distangled herself from Angel.  
  
"Buffy, Willow told me you would be there. I was waiting for you." He informed her softly. It wasn't the first time she had forgotten about training, he was getting used to the situation.  
  
"Er...why?"  
  
"The library. Remember? Work? Duty?" He tried to make her remember.  
  
"Oh! Right! God, I totally forgot about that! Sorry. Bad Buffy. It won't happen again. See, I'm sorry." She hit herself softly on the head, to illustrate her point.  
  
"You work at the library?" Angel asked, surprised.  
  
"Er...well, homework. Mom's orders, she wants to be sure that I work." Buffy lied. She felt guilty about it, but she hadn't any choice.  
  
Angel made a face. "That's tough. I'm sorry for ya."  
  
"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him. That's when Giles cleared his throat to remember her that he was there. "Oh, sorry. Giles, this is Angel. He arrived in Sunnydale a few weeks ago. Angel, this is Rupert Giles, the school librarian and the gang's grown-up friend." She introduced them. "Not in a weird way." She added with a frown.  
  
"Nice to meet you Mr. Giles." Angel said, shaking his hand. *Jeez, I'm getting polite with the school staff. What's wrong with me?*  
  
"Likewise. Hum...Buffy? Can we go now?" The watcher asked, no pleaded, his slayer.  
  
"Ok" She agreed with a sigh. She turned to Angel. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she took a step toward him. He took her hands silently, then gave her his trademark half smile.  
  
"You never answered me about Friday night. Will you be there?"  
  
Buffy thought about it for a second. *Oh no, I've got to help mom at the gallery and then patrol. Oh please no, I can't miss it.* "I want to. So much."  
  
"I'm sensing a but here. I don't like buts. Please don't say but." He almost whined, frowning. He wanted so badly to be just with her for an evening. Just the two of them with no one around so they could finally kiss. And do other stuff.  
  
"Er...however?" She tried, smiling slightly.  
  
"Nah, that's a fancy but." He disagreed her, shaking his head.  
  
"Look, Angel, I swear I want to spend Friday night helping you move, but I gotta ask before I say yes."  
  
"Ask who? Your mom? Come on, it's Friday night, it's not like you've got work to do." Buffy knew Giles was listening to their conversation, so she couldn't say she was free. She wasn't. Her only hope was to convince both her watcher and her mom to let her go. And she suspected that the British guy would be a piece of cake compared to her mother. And that says something. How was she supposed to convince her mother to let her spend the evening alone with the guy she had asked her not to be friend with?  
  
"I'll do all I can. I promise." She told him with a sad smile. He nodded, looking really disappointed. *God, he looks so crushed! I'm a bad bad person. No, my watcher and mother from hell are bad! I'm innocent. It's not my fault if...Oh god he's brooding all over again because of me! Kill me now!*  
  
"Ok. Bye."  
  
"Bye." They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Buffy let his hands go and left with Giles.  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy, I" Giles started as they reached the library.  
  
"Don't." She told him firmly.  
  
"I just"  
  
"Don't you dare pull out all that crap about me dating being wrong, or you'll have broken bones by the end of training." She warned her watcher, trying to control her frustrations and anger.  
  
"Listen to me for a second. I'm not going to tell you how wrong you dating is, because you already know that. And I trust you with your decisions. Well...most of your decisions. I only want you to be careful with boys. If you are in a serious relationship with a boy...this Angel person for instance, you're going to feel guilty about lying to him. But even if you want to tell him, he certainly won't want to learn the truth."  
  
"I know. You're right." She nodded sadly. Then suddenly she looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Hey, are you really sure I gotta patrol on Friday night?" Giles rolled his eyes. She was way too stubborn for him.  
  
"Buffy, you're already going to miss patrol on Saturday because of that sleep-over with your friends." He reminded her of his agreement to give her the week-end off.  
  
"Please? Please, please, please, please? I like him soooooo much Giles, he's so sweet and caring and holy god have you seen his body?" Giles looked at her strangely, so she tried to cover what she said. "Which I mean was that...he is strong. He's not weak, so it's good if there's trouble. But there won't be trouble, he won't be in danger, because we'll be at his apartment. Giles, I'm just going to help him move in. Please? I'll double my patrols the next week. Please, please? Giles? My dear watcher?" She pleaded with puppy eyes which she knew got to him.  
  
"Fine. You are free on Friday. But you know evil is always lurking in a corner, you have to be alert."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Thank you so much, I love you!" She exclaimed, smiling brightly. *Now there's only my mom left.* The smile vanished instantly from her face.  
  
********* 


	13. Part 13

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
13.  
  
"Mom! Hi! How are you? You must be exhausted! Can I get you something? Tea? Coffee? Anything?" Buffy exclaimed with a bright smile when her mother came back from work on Thursday evening. *So, I'm only being nice to get what I want...who said it was a crime?* Joyce had been in a really bad mood the day before, so Buffy had judged better not to ask her if she could go out all week-end. Tonight was her last hope. If she was very lucky, she would be in Angel's apartment with Angel, kissing Angel, touching Angel, the next evening...  
  
"Er...I'm fine...scared by my daughter but...fine." Replied Joyce as she took of her coat.  
  
"Can't a daughter take care of her dear mother from time to time?" Buffy asked innocently.  
  
Joyce raised an eyebrow at her. "Sure..." She frowned when she remarked the abnormally innocent grin on her daughter's face. "What did you do? What do you want?"  
  
"Nothin" The slayer quickly looked away. *I am not a good liar. That's bad. Bad!!*  
  
"Buffy?" Joyce raised slightly her voice.  
  
"Ok...I'll just ask. Er...you remember the new girl?" *Fake-Emily to the rescue!* "She's having a little party at her house next Friday. Not a big huge party...more like a sleep-over thing with all my friends. They can all go, and I really want to go too, but I promised I would help you at the gallery and I"  
  
"Sweetie, stop it, you're babbling." Joyce interrupted her with an amused smile. "It's ok, you can go."  
  
"I do?" Buffy asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes. It's ok, I can take care of the gallery, I don't see why you couldn't go."  
  
Buffy sighed in relief and hugged her mother. "Thank you so much! I love you!"  
  
"I love you too honey. So, what's going to happen on Friday?" Joyce asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're staying over at Emily's, you're coming back on Saturday and then you go to Kristin's?"  
  
"Oh...er...Yeah, I'll do that." *Now I'm stuck. Stupid Emily Bitch, she got me into troubles again! What am I gonna tell Angel? Oh, hey, can I stay the night? 'Cause I really don't wanna seem like a slut, but my mom thinks I'm spending the night with an imaginary friend because she hates you so I had to lie. Maybe I could stay at Willow's after...*  
  
*****  
  
The following morning, Buffy was totally excited. Willow had been well- informed of everything that had happened, both by Buffy and Kristin, and she had of course agreed to let Buffy sleep at her place that night. She wanted to hear the whole story as soon as possible. "Guys! Angel's coming, go away!" Buffy ordered when she saw her soon-to-be- boyfriend walking in the school building.  
  
"Why are we leaving? He's not that horrible, we can stand him, right?" Xander muttered as he was dragged away by Willow, followed by Oz and Cordelia.  
  
"Hi Angel!" Buffy chirped, her lips twisting in a huge grin.  
  
"Hey. How're you doing?" He replied, his usual neutral tone failing to hide his happiness when he saw her because of the big smile on his face.  
  
"Well, I'm good. You?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Good. That's good. Er..." She tried to remember what she had planned to tell him, but the minute she laid her eyes on him her mind went blank. "Your...offer for tonight still holds...right?"  
  
"Sure." He nodded.  
  
"I'm free." She informed him.  
  
"Really?" He was suddenly filled with hope.  
  
"Yeah, when do you want me to come over?"  
  
"Er...around 8-30, is it ok?" That way he'd be able to make a quick hunt before she arrived.  
  
"It's perfect." *Good, I'll be able to patrol a little before, Giles'll be glad.*  
  
"I'll pick you up at your place?" He suggested, all the while trying to hide a victory grin. *Buffy. Me. Tonight. Alone. How perfect is that?*  
  
"No!" She retorted a little too quickly, which startled him. "Sorry. I meant, it's not a good idea...'cause my mom is gonna be there, and she's gonna want to talk to you, give you the third degree, and then she's gonna force you to stay for dinner and we'll never gonna go to your apartment." She explained, talking fast. He gave of one of his half-smiles.  
  
"Your mother doesn't know you're spending the evening with me, does she?"  
  
She smiled guiltily "Not likely."  
  
"Wanna meet at the Bronze?"  
  
"I can't wait."  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy! Pay attention!" The slayer looked up to see her watcher raising an eyebrow at her. She leaned over Willow and Xander, who were sitting next to her in the library.  
  
"Help, what were we talking about?" She whispered making a face.  
  
"The big ugly vampires Cordelia ran into at the Mall." Willow informed her.  
  
"Oh...right. I knew that." She smiled innocently at her watcher, who merely shook his head and rolled his eyes. He wouldn't get anything out of his slayer today.  
  
"Their names are the Gortch brothers. You're gonna have to kill them." Jenny repeated.  
  
"I can do that. Do we know where they live?" Buffy asked, forgetting about her Angel-related day dream and changing into slayer gal mode.  
  
"Willy said they moved in a crypt in Restfield cemetery. The good thing is that they're not two of the intellectual vampires...like vampires who actually think. But they have got muscles, you need to be careful with them Buffy." Her watcher warned her.  
  
"I'll check the cemetery tonight before I go the Bronze." Buffy told them before she left the library with Willow and Oz.  
  
*****  
  
"What should I wear?" Buffy asked her best friends at the end of the afternoon, as the three of them were standing in front of her closet in her bedroom.  
  
"What do you expect from tonight?" Cordelia demanded.  
  
"Er...well...kissing I hope. I'm sure. Lots of kissing." She sighed happily. "I just want to spend a good time with him, help him like he asked, get to know him better. And lots, lots of kissing."  
  
"Are you sure it's what he wants, too?"  
  
"Totally!" Willow chirped in. "Come on, you saw how they couldn't keep their eyes off the other the whole week."  
  
"But what does he expect of tonight?" Cordelia insisted.  
  
"The same thing I guess." Buffy answered hesitantly.  
  
"No seduction needed?"  
  
"N-No...I don't think so. Well...we flirt a lot, but we don't actually hit on the other." Buffy explained.  
  
"Ok, so we forget about that." Cordelia stated as she dropped on the floor a tiny leather skirt that would barely reach the middle of Buffy's thighs.  
  
"You know Buffy, I don't think Angel expects you to dress up. It would be better if you dressed like every day." Willow advised.  
  
"She's right. And also, I think you shouldn't be wearing any clothes that would give him easy access to your body." Cordelia added.  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy frowned.  
  
"Just that he's a year older, he's been living in the streets for years, and he's a total hottie. I'll bet you anything that he hasn't been a virgin for a long time."  
  
"Buff, relax! He's not even taking you out to dinner, or to a club, or anything. He asked you to help him move in, just to spend time with you alone. Wear something casual." Willow told her best friend with a smile.  
  
With Willow and Cordy's help, she picked a blue and white tank top with a pair of tight jeans that shown her belly button. She let her hair hang around her face, applied little make-up and put on black heeled shoes that didn't cover the tip of her toes. At 6, Cordy and Willow left, agreeing to meet Buffy at the Bronze later, and at 7-30, just when the sun disappeared, Buffy went for patrol.  
  
********* 


	14. Part 14

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
14.  
  
Ever since the Scooby gang found out that there was a new player in Sunnydale, Buffy had tried to be extra alert during patrol (which was hard because she couldn't get her mind off Angel). She was curious to meet him, see if he had a second identity like herself and tried to lead a normal life, or if he had given up trying. She had guessed he was a guy, 'cause her sister slayer Kendra was alive and kicking. Tonight though, she was determined to find those two vampire morons, kill them quickly without getting dirt on her outfit, then go to the Bronze, meet Angel, go to his apartment and ravish him until they were both unable to move. *Jeez Summers! Stop having dirty thoughts about the guy, it'll only make the whole thing more awkward.* She shook her head and sat on a headstone, concentrating. Giles had spent the last month trying to teach her how to feel vampires around her without needing to see them. She thought she was actually getting good at that, but then she felt it once at school when Angel entered the class and approached her, so she had figured she was imagining things.  
  
It didn't take much waiting before the two vampires arrived. As soon as she saw them walking in her direction, oblivious that the hot little blonde here was the vampire slayer, Buffy jumped off the headstone and grabbed discreetly her stake. *They better not ruin my outfit!*  
  
At the same time, on the other side of the crypt Buffy was standing next to, Angel saw a couple of vampires walking towards him. *Oh, it's my lucky day. Cowboys!* Indeed, the two vampires were wearing hats, jackets and shoes like the ones in westerns movies. *Wild West lunatics, cool!* The young warrior smirked at the thought. Diversity is always fun.  
  
"You see that Tector?" The first vampire stopped his brother when he spotted the two humans...or at least what looked like to humans. Who was he to know that on both sides of the crypt stood a human vampire slayer and a not so completely human warriors for the Powers That Be, who were both oblivious of the other's presence?  
  
"Meals." Growled his brother with a dumb grin.  
  
"Yeah. Two of 'em! One for each. Which one do you take bro?"  
  
"The girl!"  
  
"Nah, I take the girl!" the first replied, eyeing her outfit from the long distance.  
  
"Then why do you ask if you already know which one you want?" Tector asked with his thick Texan accent.  
  
"Stop asking stupid questions. Go eat, Tector." Lyle commended as he made his way to the girl. The other vampire nodded and took the other path, slipping into game face as he approached the young man.  
  
"Where the hell is your pal going? I had two western freaks! Why did he left?" Angel grumbled, disappointed.  
  
"You're going to die tonight, I'm hungry!" The vampire answered with a growl.  
  
"Don't you guys ever find anything else to say? It's getting annoying." Angel sighed. A second later the vampire had attacked and they were fighting.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey sweetheart! How would you feel about a big hug?" Lyle greeted the slayer, who rolled her eyes.  
  
"Jeez, let's get on the fight already, I've got a date tonight, I don't have time for shit chat!"  
  
"A date with death you shall get" The vampire replied with a stupid laugh.  
  
"You're a pathetic vamp, you know that right?" Buffy told him with a pitiful smile. "I've met lot's of vamps...but that line was truly lame."  
  
"I've heard the slayer's blood is the sweetest. I can't wait to taste it." The vampire guessed as he licked his lips.  
  
"Come on big guy, show the lil' slayer what you've got." She told him, as she showed him her stake.  
  
*****  
  
Angel punched the vampire in the face, making him stumble backwards. As he regained his balance, Tector tried to punch Angel in the face, but the vampire hunter dodged and kicked the demon in the back of his legs, then wielded a powerful roundhouse to his chest just as the vampire was in mid- air from the previous kick, which threw the demon 5 meters away on his ass. "Aww, that's all you've got cowboy?" Angel taunted him as he walked towards the vampire, who was quickly back on his feet and running in the fight.  
  
In the meanwhile, Lyle and Buffy were fighting fiercely. Lyle had more technique than his brother, and the fight with the slayer was getting more and more interesting. Buffy took a swing at the vampire who ducked it and kicked her hard in the back to the ground. He pounced down on her, moving in for the kill, laughing, but Buffy quickly kicked her legs up and rebounded, stake in hand. She threw a punch to his face and caught his arm, forced him down with all her strength with one hand. She kicked him in the face again, spilling blood, then staked the vampire quickly. Before he realized what had happened, he was dust. *Shit I'm gonna be late!*  
  
After a few more minutes of punching and kicking from both parts, Angel grabbed the vampire by the throat and threw him on the wall of the crypt. He then plunged his stake deep in the vampire's heart, piercing his heart. "Night man. Nice fight." As he was wiping dust off his clothes, Angel sensed someone else around him. *a human. Definitely a human...but there's something else* He looked around and, seeing no one, was about to go round the crypt to check, but he realized how late it was. *Shit I'm gonna be late!* Without bothering checking if there was indeed someone else around, Angel took off to get his bike, which was parked in front of the cemetery.  
  
*****  
  
Angel cursed when he arrived in front of the Bronze. *Fuck, 35 minutes late. Fucking vampire. Good for him he's already dead.* He quickly spotted Willow and Cordelia, who were talking with Xander, in a corner of the club. Oz was playing on stage with the Dingoes, and a lot of people were dancing.  
  
"Hi" Angel murmured as he reached them. He was still a little uneasy around them. He wasn't used to have normal friends and he didn't really know how to act. He was used to hang with people who knew his secret, it had been a while since he had to be careful not to say anything.  
  
"Oh, hey Angel!" Willow greeted him with a big smile, and Cordelia did the same. Angel didn't bother look at Xander to see if he reacted to his arrival, he couldn't care less of what that boy thought of him.  
  
"Is Buffy here?" He asked as he looked around the club and the dance floor. He slightly smiled when he saw his sister laughing and dancing with a blonde guy.  
  
"Er...no, she's not here." Cordelia answered from her spot on her boyfriend's lap.  
  
Angel frowned. "I'm more than a half hour late."  
  
"Yeah...but she had...stuff to do before coming here. It's no big deal, she'll be here soon." Willow covered for her friend.  
  
The dark haired boy nodded slightly nervously. As much as she was excited about their first date, he couldn't help being anxious. Seeing his uneasiness, Willow moved from her seat on the armchair and sat on the couch next to Cordy and Xander. "Come on, sit and wait with us." She told him kindly. He looked at her with surprise and sat hesitantly, making the red-head wonder about his behavior and his life. Kristin had been pretty vague when she had told her about her brother, obviously not feeling at ease with the subject of his life.  
  
"So, what have you planned for the evening?" Willow asked, trying to make conversation.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"Ok..." *Jeez, he's not the easiest guy to talk to!* "Oh, here she is!" Willow exclaimed when she saw her best friend entering the club.  
  
"Hey guys!" She greeted her friends, then turned towards Angel. "I'm so sorry, I'm really late, I was just very busy with that...thing I had to do...sorry. I hope you didn't wait for too long."  
  
"It's fine, don't worry. I arrived 2 minutes ago. Late too." He smiled at her as he tore his eyes away from her body.  
  
"Oh. Good." She smiled brightly at him, and for a minute they were the only persons in the world.  
  
"Ok...er...we can...go. If you're ready." Angel murmured eventually.  
  
"Yeah, I'm good to go." She nodded and he stood up. As Angel was saying goodbye to his sister, Buffy did the same to her friends, and a minute later they were out of the Bronze.  
  
"Do you live far from here?" Buffy asked as they started walking away.  
  
"Not too much. We're gonna drive though." He led her to his bike, which was parked across the street. "Sorry I don't have a helmet. I used to have one but...it kinda broke when I hit a truck a few months ago" He saw her eyes widening, and chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm a good driver. It was an accident, I was chasing someone...in the streets of LA...not my fault. You're safe with me."  
  
"Ok, I trust you. But if you see a truck, you stop." She warned her, pouting slightly. At the sight of her bottom lip, Angel had to fight the urge to lick it and take it in his mouth. He smiled at her and climbed on the bike, and waited for her to climb behind him. She sat close to him, more because she was afraid to fall than because she wanted to touch him. Although she enjoyed it fully.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Er...yeah." She encircled his waist and pressed herself against his back. He could feel her breath on his neck, and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to help him focus on the road instead of the little blonde behind him. After a couple of minutes of driving, they stopped at a red light, and Angel took the occasion to talk a little.  
  
"Are you hungry? I got a pizza at home, but we can get something else if you want." Angel told her.  
  
"Pizza sounds good." She spoke in his ear and giggled when she felt him shiver. Without pausing to think if it was a good idea or not, she slipped her fingers under his shirt and caressed softly his stomach with the tip of her fingers, and rested her head on his back. He turned his head a little so that he'd be able to see in her eyes and gave her his trade-mark half smile.  
  
"If you keep that up, we'll never get home." He warned her half-jokingly and resumed driving, biting his lips to keep a clear mind when she kissed him softly behind his ear.  
  
Five minutes later, Angel stopped in front of a big building that was located in the bad part of town. The only light around came from the moon, which shone brightly in the heavy darkness of night. "Come on baby, we're here." Angel told her with a smile as he climbed off the bike.  
  
"Delancey Street's not the most joyful street in town." Buffy commented as she took a look around her. The building was located in front of the entry of the Delancey cemetery and surrounded by other buildings as scary as this one, most of them being disaffected warehouses and factories.  
  
"Well, you can cuddle in my arms if you're scared. I protect damsels in distress." He teased her, parking the bike next to the door.  
  
She hit him on the arm playfully. "Shut up!"  
  
He grinned at her and took her hand in his, leading her inside the building. "Wow. It's nice and gloomy in here."  
  
"I know, the lights in the hallway don't work. Just don't let go of me and you won't fall over anything. I've got a good sight in darkness."  
  
She giggled as she grabbed his arm. "You're like batman."  
  
"Batman, huh?" He smiled at her, although she couldn't see his face.  
  
"Yeah. You know, with the black clothes, the cool black bike, the dark spooky buildings...it's funny."  
  
"I'm a funny guy. Here we are." He took his keys in his pocket and opened the door. He let Buffy enter the apartment and turned on the lights before closing the door behind them. It was a lot bigger than Buffy thought it would be. There were boxes full of Angel's stuff all around the living room, where there were a couch, two armchairs and a low table. A bookcase and a cupboard were in a corner, and there were a lot of empty shelves on both sides of the fireplace. There was a small kitchen which had direct access to the living room. Buffy walked inside the apartment and saw Angel's bedroom, which was completely empty safe from the bed and a closet, and the bathroom on the other side of the corridor.  
  
"It's nice." She told him with a smile.  
  
"Right now it's a mess, but it'll be ok in a few days. I know it's not big, but I don't need much space." He told her as he took off his leather jacket and threw it on the closest armchair. He then went to the kitchen, took a pizza out of the fridge and put it in the microwave.  
  
"Really, Angel, I think it's great. Well, it's not located in the nicest area of Sunnydale, but your apartment is great." Buffy walked over the boxes scattered in the living room as she took off her jacket. Silently, Angel followed her and stood behind her, holding his breath. "So, what are we doing now? Do you wanna...start unpacking your stuff...or what?"  
  
"I kinda wanted to do something else first." He whispered in her ear, placing a light kiss where her neck and shoulder met and making her gasp slightly. She turned around to face him, and they were silent for a minute, simply looking into the other's eyes. Eventually, Angel leaned over and brushed her lips with his. They broke eye contact by closing their eyes, anticipating the kiss. Angel pressed his lips softly against hers, and captured her lips in a soft kiss. She wasted no time responding to him, her hands around his neck, as he wrapped his arms around her waist gently, holding her to him. The kiss soon turned more and more passionate, and Angel slid out his tongue, caressing Buffy's lips to make her open her mouth. She did so and their tongues met in the most passionate kiss Buffy had ever known. Their tongues dueled in each other's mouth, as Buffy ran her fingers through his thick spikey hair, and Angel moved his hands up and down on her back. Eventually, they pulled away, both out of breath.  
  
"Wow! Do you know how long I've wanted you to do that?" Buffy asked, staring in his eyes. Angel smiled at her, keeping her close to his body.  
  
"No, but you're going to tell me." He murmured, raining kisses along her jaw line.  
  
"Well, basically ever since I led eyes on you."  
  
"Oh...and are you satisfied with what you got?"  
  
"Kiss me again." She commended, panting. He stared silently at her, amazed by her beauty, and gently stroked the side of her face before lowering his head to hers, capturing her lips in another sweet kiss. Suddenly, a sound interrupted their embrace, and they both chuckled.  
  
"Microwave. Right, and I thought if I got you here we wouldn't be interrupted." Angel sighed with a smile, dropping two more kisses on her lips, which were swollen and red from their long kisses. "You hungry?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.  
  
"Okay, fine."  
  
*****  
  
They ate quickly between kisses and smiles, and retreated to the living room. They sat in the middle of the boxes, and started opening them. Buffy found it extremely interesting as soon as she had opened the first box. They were all full of Angel's stuff and she was able to get to know him a lot better, find out what he liked and what he didn't. "Wow. That's a lot of books you've got here." She commented, picking the first one. "You like Shakespeare, huh?"  
  
"I'm a fan." He replied with a grin. He looked around for a moment, opened the box he was looking for, pulled out his laptop and put it on the table in front of him, as Buffy was going through his books.  
  
"Stephen King, Frank Herbert, Tolkien, Anne Rice...You sure like to read stories about ghosts, monsters and stuff." *Funny. If only he knew half the stuff is true*  
  
"Yeah, I admit. But you'll find more serious books inside." He told her as he was setting his television and VCR.  
  
She chuckled when she saw the rest of the books. "Wow! Giles would flip if he saw your collection! You've got weird tastes buddy."  
  
*Shit, the research books!* "W-Why d-do you say that? What's wrong with those books?" He asked nervously. *Oh, I'm sure I'll find something real smart to tell her when she'll ask why I've got dozens of books about vampires and demons. Moron!! You couldn't think about putting aside your freaking hunting stuff before she got here?*  
  
"Nothing. It's just that Giles's English and you've got a scary collection of British literature books here." She clarified, smiling, as she stood up to put them in the bookcase.  
  
Angel relaxed instantly *Ok, it's ok, she didn't see anything, it's in another box. Stay cool.*  
  
"You okay?" Buffy asked, seeing that he was acting weird.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He assured her with a smile, checking the boxes for those damn research books. She wasn't convinced, but didn't push the subject. Instead she opened another box, but didn't look inside at first, because she looked at Angel with an idea.  
  
Just as he found the box he was looking for and released a breath, he heard Buffy's voice and looked up. "Hey, do you have a stereo?"  
  
"Yeah, but I left it to Kristin with my CDs when we moved in town 'cause I- " That was when he realized what was inside the open box Buffy was sitting next to.  
  
*FUCK! My weapons! FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!* He was frozen, he just couldn't say anything, too afraid that if it wasn't the good answer she'd look down in the box and figure that he was a freaky lunatic murderous psychopath. *You DUMB ASS! Say something! Anything!* "Buffy...er...I..." *Careful! Careful!* "Could you...er..." *Think! Think!*  
  
"What's wrong?" She was starting to feel really worried.  
  
*Say something for crying out loud!!!*  
  
"Angel, just tell me." She got up and walked over him, sitting next to him and stroking his cheek gently.  
  
*YES! You're the best, man! Oh yeah, that was good! Very smooth! Except...now, what do I tell her?* "I'm sorry, Buffy, I just...I remembered I had really private things in here. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I wouldn't feel comfortable if you saw them. It's...pretty embarrassing, and disturbing...and scary in a way. It's not a big deal, but..." He explained nervously, casting his eyes on the floor.  
  
"Angel, don't worry. I understand you want to keep some things private. I needed to go to the bathroom anyway." She smiled reassuringly at him. He stared at her for a moment, and eventually smiled too.  
  
"You're the best, you know that right?"  
  
"Now I do." She replied before kissing him sweetly and taking off to the bathroom. Angel wasted no time picking up the few compromising boxes and put them away in the closet of his room. *Great, now I'm gonna need to find hiding places for my hunting accessories. I'm such a freak, how could she ever understand me?*  
  
********* 


	15. Part 15

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
15.  
  
"Hmm. Mmmm." Buffy moaned loudly, making Angel chuckle. They had been making out for more than 30 minutes now, laying on his couch, after they had finished emptying Angel's stuff, hanging posters on the wall, moving around furniture...She finally broke the kiss, panting heavily. "Wow. You're an amazingly good kisser." The slayer commented, caressing Angel's back through his shirt.  
  
"I try." They smiled at each other, and then Angel started kissing Buffy on her cheek, along her jaw line, tracing a path with his lips to her neck and on her shoulder to finally find his way back to her lips.  
  
"I gotta" kiss "go at" kiss "Willow's. She" Angel cut her off by crushing his lips on hers in a demanding kiss. His tongue caressing and massaging, his hands exploring, Buffy was overwhelmed by Angel's touch.  
  
"We have time" He whispered as he nibbled at her bottom lip and slipped his hands under her tank top to caress her back.  
  
"Wait, Angel stop." She pressed her fingers against his mouth and forced him to move his head back a little, making him whimper slightly. "What time is it?"  
  
"I don't know." He said, kissing her fingers and making her giggle. She tried to grab his wrist to check the time on his watch, but he grabbed her first by the waist and pulled her to him as he sat on the couch, forcing her to straddle his thighs. He kept her quiet with passion-filled kisses for another 5 minutes. When they broke the kiss, they looked into each other's eyes and sighed happily.  
  
"That was good."  
  
"Yeah, it was." He agreed, still holding her to him by the waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment fully, as she was gently caressing the nape of his neck.  
  
"I'm really gonna have to go though. Willow said her parents wouldn't be home before 12.30 'cause they had a dinner with friends or whatever, but she said I'd better come over before they come back." Buffy told him, her voice slightly muffled by his shoulder.  
  
"Why?" He was fingering the hem of her tank top, trying not to forget about his sister's warning not to do anything more than kissing. He had promised her not to go too far with Buffy, but now he realized just how much it was hard to respect his word. She was sitting on his lap, straddling him and nuzzling his neck, and he couldn't stop himself from wanting to rip off her clothes and make love to her right here, right now.  
  
"Cause if they see me coming over in the middle of the night, they'll ask questions, and tell my mom."  
  
He was still perplexed. "And you're not allowed to go to your friend's in the middle of the night after a date?"  
  
She was surprised by his disbelief and looked at him. "Duh! I can't even imagine how long I'd be grounded! How would your mother react if she found out her child was out in the middle of the night?" She asked, raising her eyebrows, forgetting for a moment about his situation.  
  
"Well, it's not like I've got a way to find out." He replied calmly, not showing the hurt her question had caused him.  
  
And now, she remembered. "Oh my god, Angel, I'm so sorry. I forgot...God, I'm so stupid. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up." She smiled apologetically at him and stroke his cheek sweetly.  
  
"It's ok, it's not your fault." He whispered, casting his eyes on the floor.  
  
"I'm really sorry, I'll never bring that up ever again."  
  
He looked up at her, tracing the outlines of her lips with his thumb. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"But you're upset."  
  
He sighed and kissed her sweetly. "It's just hard here. In Sunnydale. Back in New York and Los Angeles everybody knew who I was...I had friends."  
  
"You have friends here." She disagreed, kissing his temple. He gave her that half-smile that made her knees weak.  
  
"I guess, but it's really not the same. Your friends are nice, and everything, but they're not the kind of persons I used to hang with."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If you meet my friends, you'll understand." He replied as he was caressing her hair soothingly. She caught his wrist and looked at his watch.  
  
"11.45! Damn! Ugh, I have to go." She told him with a deep sigh of disappointment.  
  
"Well, you don't have to. Why don't you just stay with me for the night? Sleep here." He suggested hopefully.  
  
*Okay...Now I'm scared. What the HELL did he mean by that? Sleep here, sleep sleep or sleep here as in sleep with me as in sex? Oh god, it was going so great, and I just screwed up everything when I mentioned his mom and now he's hurt and he'll think I want to stay away from him and...Oh my god! What if he expects me to have sex with him because it would make him feel better and I would...Oh look at that, I'm babbling in my own head, I'm going insane!*  
  
As Buffy had been silent for quite a long time and was just staring at him with wide eyes, Angel realized what she might have thought. "Stay with me as in sleep, as in you in the bed and me on the couch." He clarified, although he would have preferred the other meaning of sleeping.  
  
She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just...whatever." she started blushing from the embarrassment, and he couldn't help but grin at that.  
  
*She's so cute.* "What do you say?"  
  
"Sorry, I'd like to stay, but I should go to Willow's. I don't wanna...you know...go too fast."  
  
"Too fast? Buffy, I was just asking you to stay over for the night to...talk. I wasn't implying we'd have sex. I never thought you'd even want on the first date." He explained, a little annoyed. After Julie, his first and almost only serious girlfriend, Angel had never frequented innocent sweet girls like Buffy, the girls he had been with had been all in it for sex, not that he complained. He was truly making efforts with Buffy, not giving in to his desires, listening to her. He really cared a lot for her feelings, even more than he had for Julie...and that meant something. So he was a little upset that she could think he wanted her to stay only to sleep with her.  
  
She smiled inwardly. *He's been thinking about sleeping with me. I can't believe he thought about being with me that way...well, I guess it's normal for a guy, but he's so sweet to admit it and assure me he didn't expect it to happen.* "I know, and I didn't mean to say that you did anything wrong. I'm so glad about tonight, it was the best date ever. I care so much about you and...I can't help being scared."  
  
"I don't understand, what scares you? Me?" He asked anxiously. She smiled reassuringly at him and kissed him sweetly.  
  
"YOU don't scare me, but you're older, you have a totally different life... I don't really know you." She admitted, biting her bottom lip.  
  
"We'll go slow." He promised her, and they sealed their decision with a sweet long kiss.  
  
*****  
  
"Will you be there tomorrow? You know...come over at your sister's?" Buffy whispered so that she wouldn't wake up the neighbors. Angel was holding her tightly against his body, and she had her arms encircled around his waist. They were standing in front of the door of Willow's bedroom balcony, saying their good-byes for the night.  
  
"I don't know. I don't wanna intrude." He whispered back, pressing his forehead against hers.  
  
"Angel, you're not going to intrude on your own sister, your friends and your girlfriend." She assured him.  
  
He was surprised by the way she mentioned herself, as his girlfriend. He should be upset about it, because he did swore he'd never commit himself to a girl that way ever again, but it somehow excited him that Buffy was his girlfriend. Key word: HIS. "girlfriend." He repeated after a moment.  
  
Buffy looked lost. "huh?"  
  
"Y-You said...that you were my girlfriend." He clarified, enjoying the way it sounded.  
  
"Oh." She blushed suddenly and cast her gaze on her feet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...well I just...figured that since we were on kissing terms...we were...you know...but if you don't want to"  
  
"Buffy" He interrupted her babbling, raising her chin with his fingers. "I'm glad I'm your boyfriend." That made her smile. They kissed for a long time, until they heard a shriek behind Buffy. They pulled apart and Buffy turned around to see Willow standing at her bedroom door, grinning like an idiot.  
  
"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to stop you. Please, go ahead, finish. I'll just wait in my bedroom." She told them excitedly before going back in.  
  
After a beat, Buffy turned back in Angel's arms to face him with a smile. "I guess that's my cue to go."  
  
Angel sighed heavily. "Yeah."  
  
"See you tomorrow...maybe?" She looked at him hopefully.  
  
"Maybe. I've got stuff to do, but if I don't finish too late I'll pass by."  
  
"Okay." Angel bent his head down, pressing his lips softly against hers, and Buffy returned immediately the kiss. She moved even closer to him and placed her hand on the back of his head, slipping her tongue into his mouth and massaging his tongue sensually.  
  
"Good night." She whispered when they pulled away.  
  
"Night baby" He murmured back. After a couple of last kisses, they pulled apart and Angel walked away, climbed on his bike and drove home as Buffy entered Willow's bedroom, preparing herself to tell the whole story of the date over and over again to her best friend. She smiled broadly at the thought.  
  
*****  
  
~~ Angel was walking out of the club, in search of Steven. It had been a while since his best friend had gone out to call his girlfriend, and Angel couldn't help but wonder what in the world took him so long. As he walked from the entrance of the club to the other side of the parking lot where the public phones where, he felt a human presence. Two actually. He turned around, scanning the area, his sight not being too much restrained by the thick darkness of the night, thanks to his vampire senses. That's when he spotted them. They were facing each other, obviously arguing violently, about 200 meters away from where he was standing. He walked towards them, being able to distinguish more and more details of their appearance with each step he took. Angel was feeling somehow anxious, and the knot in his stomach was becoming more and more important as he approached the two persons. Eventually he saw it. In her hand. Fear gripped his heart and he started running like crazy, as fast as he could. He ran...and screamed. FLASH. Blood everywhere. He couldn't see anything. Blood had stained his shirt, his pants, his hands where soaked with blood and blood dripped on the floor. Soon the siren of the ambulance was piercing the silence of night, but Angel didn't hear it. His mind had gone blank. He couldn't have formed a coherent sentence right now even if he had been able to make a sound. His entire body was trembling, and he was clinging at his brother's hand like a lifeline. Suddenly he heard Steven's abnormally angry voice. "It's your fault! You did it! It's all your fault you! I'll never forgive you, you fucking bastard!!" ~~  
  
Angel's eyes shot open, his body sweaty and shaking violently from the still fresh memories of his dream. Tears rolling freely on his cheeks, he curled up in his bed and cried for the rest of the night, begging for forgiveness between sobs.  
  
********* 


	16. Part 16

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
16.  
  
"Hi guys! Come on in!" Kristin greeted the Scooby gang the next evening.  
  
"Hi!" Cordelia, Willow and Buffy exclaimed happily, entering the house. Oz nodded his greeting.  
  
"What happened to good old Mary? Isn't she the one who answers the door usually?" Xander asked his new brunette friend.  
  
"Usually, yeah. But I gave her the week-end off. She'd just get in the way."  
  
"I have nothing against nice ladies getting in my way with a plate of cookies." He chuckled at his own joke, and the others merely rolled their eyes.  
  
"Ok, we only have two guest rooms, so Will and Oz will go in one, Cordy and Xander in another, and Buffy, you don't mind sleeping in my room, right? The couch is a folding bed, so you'll be comfortable there." Kristin informed everyone as she led them upstairs.  
  
"It's fine, don't worry." The slayer assured her.  
  
As everyone was setting their stuff in their rooms, Willow grabbed Kristin by the arm and led her downstairs, away from the others. "What's up Will?"  
  
"What do you mean what's up? Kristin, this is huge!" the red-head exclaimed happily.  
  
"What are you talking about? What is huge?" Kristin asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Buffy and Angel!" Willow wanted to scream it, but she managed to stay calm.  
  
"What happened?" The younger girl demanded, suddenly very interested.  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Willow asked incredulously. She had assumed Angel would have told his sister about it.  
  
"No! I know nothing, now spit it out!"  
  
"They are together! I caught them in front of my house yesterday night after their date. And your big brother had his tongue down Buffy's throat!"  
  
"Oh that is so great! I was starting to wonder when it would happen!" She was smiling brightly.  
  
"Why didn't Angel tell you?"  
  
Kristin frowned at that, the smile disappearing from her face. "I don't know. I tried calling him a few times this morning and this afternoon, but he wasn't answering. It's weird...he was all excited about the date, he wouldn't shut up about it yesterday. Why didn't he call me?" She asked herself more than Willow.  
  
"We'll find out soon enough. Maybe he just thought it was too private or he didn't want to make a big deal out of it." Willow rationalized with a reassuring smile.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe." Kristin replied as they joined the others in the living room to start their movie evening. *But he would have made a big deal out of it. What the hell happened?*  
  
*****  
  
Angel groaned when he finally reached Kristin's balcony. Usually he didn't have any problem climbing all the way to his sister's room, but tonight, with the three deep cuts in the stomach he had received from some demon with claws during hunting, climbing was a tricky business. Well...simply moving was a tricky business. He groaned one more time when he realized the bedroom was empty. *Of course, she HAS to be in the living room the ONLY time I visit and my guts are sliced* He took of his duster and dropped it on the bed as he made his way out of the room, around the corridor and finally to the evening. He suppressed a growl of frustration when he remembered the gang was staying over. With a sigh, he discreetly walked to the entrance of the living room, trying to hide the fact that his shirt was tattered. He didn't say a thing, as they were all watching the movie intently, and waited until Kristin realized he was there. She frowned when she saw him, stood up and walked out of the living room.  
  
Surprised by Kristin's sudden urge to get out of the room, everyone looked at her leaving and saw Angel at the door. "Hey Angel! You decided to come over after all, that's great!" Willow exclaimed, smiling brightly at the perspective that this would be an interesting evening for her best friend.  
  
Angel looked at them awkwardly, and his gaze eventually locked with Buffy's. She wasn't smiling at him, instead her face was showing worry. "I- I...I just needed to talk to you" He told his sister, his jaw straightening from the pain in his stomach.  
  
"Sure. Let's go to my room." She told him with a warm smile, showing him that she understood he needed some patching up, and he didn't want the others to know. "We'll be back in 5 minutes guys."  
  
They walked back to the bedroom and Kristin went to her bathroom to grab bandages and everything she'd need to help him. It wasn't the first time she did it, so she knew exactly what to do.  
  
"You need help with your shirt?" She asked him as he was struggling to get it off. He nodded and she approached him, quickly putting away what was left of his shirt. She gasped when she saw how badly he was hurt. "Wow! What the hell happened?"  
  
"Demon. Claws. Met him while I was hunting tonight." Angel answered as she tended his wound.  
  
"Was it like a superdemon or something?"  
  
"No, I killed it without much difficulty."  
  
"While hunting."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"He attacked you while you where hunting and hurt you right before you killed it?" She repeated, frowning.  
  
"Yeah." He answered with a nod. "I just wasn't paying attention and he took me by surprise."  
  
"YOU. You weren't paying attention during hunting." She repeated again. *He doesn't make sense!*  
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
"Are you kidding me? Angel, when you hunt, you're like all vampire senses out! No one could even sneak up on you when you're hunting." He simply shrugged, obviously not willing to tell her what really happened. So she decided to try something else. "Why didn't you tell me you and Buffy had gotten together yesterday?" He cast his eyes for a moment on the floor, and then he looked into her eyes.  
  
"I was going to. I just had...a bad day." He replied lamely, knowing she'd understand anyway.  
  
"You had another nightmare about Steven didn't you?" She had seen the hurt in his eyes as she mentioned Steven. He nodded with a sigh as she finished the bandage. "Angel, you-"  
  
"Oh god Angel!" Kristin turned around and Angel looked up to see Buffy standing in the doorway, her hand in front of her mouth from the surprise. She hadn't expected to see her newly boyfriend's stomach completely covered with bandages. That meant something bad had happened.  
  
"Buffy..." He tried to say something, but realized he didn't have anything to say, so he cast his eyes on the floor, not willing to have to explain exactly why he was wounded.  
  
"What happened?" Buffy asked as she crossed the bedroom and stood next to him.  
  
"I'll...go back with the others." Kristin murmured and left the room.  
  
Buffy sat next to him, and took his hand in hers. "How bad is it?"  
  
"I'm fine, don't worry. It's just a scratch, I didn't even need stitches." He answered while caressing the back of her hand.  
  
"What happened?" He looked into her eyes, and smiled inwardly when he saw real concern there.  
  
"Just a...fight. I was walking around and some guys were drunk, they jumped on me before I could do anything."  
  
"Yeah, you do live in a bad neighborhood." She added, smiling sadly.  
  
"Don't worry baby, I'm used to fight. I'm a good at it actually. Tonight I was just distracted."  
  
"Is there something I can do?" She asked, trying not to smile at what she was actually thinking about. He grinned, knowing what she had in mind.  
  
"Kiss me"  
  
*****  
  
Much later in the evening, the gang was hanging in Kristin's bedroom, Angel included. Buffy and Angel had not told the others that they were together, but it was kinda obvious since Buffy was sitting between Angel's legs on the bed, leaning her back on his chest, with his arms around her. Xander hadn't made nasty comments, but Buffy highly doubted that Willow had threatened him to shut up. Cordelia had seen it coming for days, and Oz...well Oz's Oz.  
  
"Hey Kris! How about you show us the pictures you were talking about. We could know a little more about you two new people that way!" suggested Cordelia.  
  
"Good idea!" Willow chirped in. Kristin nodded and went to the closet and looked around a moment for her photo albums. Buffy heard Angel's groan and turned her head around to face him with a smile.  
  
"What? Afraid I'll see something compromising?"  
  
"Nah. But you gotta know that Kristin takes pictures of...everything. She must have like 6 or 7 albums full of pictures of our friends and us." He replied, rolling his eyes. Kristin then put 3 albums on the bed. Buffy, Cordelia and Willow each took one. Every once in a while, someone would show a picture to Angel or his sister, asking who it was. Angel told them briefly about his friends on the photos. The bleached blonde was Spike, his most trusted friend in New York, the tattooed brunette was Faith, Spike's girlfriend and a good friend of Kristin's. The black tall guy and the shorter boy with glasses were Gunn and Penn, Angel's best friends in Los Angeles. There were dozens of other boys and girls from either Manhattan or LA.  
  
"Hey, who wants to see Angel wearing nothing but a towel?" Cordelia asked, grinning. Buffy grabbed the picture and smiled at the sight. Angel looked at it from his place behind her and smiled too.  
  
"Please, I was like 6 years old! You've got some much more nasty ones."  
  
"Aaww, you were such a cute kid! Look at this one, with your little cap and that basketball!" Buffy told her boyfriend, pointing at a picture. Buffy continued flipping through the pages of Angel's childhood, until she noticed one girl who was fairly often on the pictures of Angel when he was a little kid, holding him in her arms as a baby or holding him by the hand when he was older. "Who's that girl? She's on plenty of pictures. Is she your cousin...or a neighbor or something?" She pointed to a picture where Angel was 3, in the arms of a 16 year old brunette. Everyone looked at it.  
  
"No, that's my mum." Angel answered simply, and everyone but Kristin looked at him like he was crazy.  
  
"Angel, that girl must be like 16 here, and you've got to be about 3!" Willow pointed out, and Angel merely shrugged. Seeing that the dark-haired boy wouldn't explain, they turned towards Kristin.  
  
"Yeah, that's our mother." She flipped two more pages and showed them a picture of a 17 year old dark-haired boy that looked extremely like Angel. "And that's our dad. They had Angel at 13 and me at 16."  
  
"You mean she was pregnant at 13?" Cordelia raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Huh, huh. When he was 8, Angel asked them why they were so young when his friends' parents were more than 35. They just said that they were in love and wanted to have sex when they were 13."  
  
"That's cool. I wonder how it would be if my parents where 30 at the moment." Xander said, as he was looking over at Angel.  
  
"I wonder too." Angel whispered, not loud enough for the others to hear him, but Buffy did hear him and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. As everyone else got back to the albums, Angel buried his head in Buffy's shoulder, discreetly but sensually licking her neck and shoulder. She bit back a moan at the sensation of Angel's lips and tongue on her skin.  
  
"Stop it!" She whispered urgently, embarrassed that the others would notice.  
  
"I can't. You just taste so good." Angel whispered back in her ear, making her shiver.  
  
"Angel?" Willow called after a moment. The older boy stopped his actions on Buffy's neck and looked at Willow. "Who is the guy who's always next to you ever since you're a kid? He's in half the pictures of every album." She handed him a photo, and he looked at it with Buffy. It was a picture of a 16 year old Angel with his arms around a brown-haired boy, who was smaller built but just as tall as Angel. Suddenly, the slayer felt her boyfriend tense.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy called him again, frowning.  
  
"T-T-That's...Steven." He answered with a deep sigh.  
  
"Family or friend?" Cordelia asked, curious.  
  
Angel hesitated for a moment, then answered casting his eyes on his hands and not on the picture. "Both"  
  
"I thought you said you two were the only family you had." Buffy added with a frown.  
  
"Steven's not really family. He's been Angel's best friend ever since kindergarten. They saw the other more like a brother than just a friend. They were inseparable." Kristin explained, while looking at Angel with worry.  
  
Buffy knew it wouldn't be wise to ask, but she was just too curious towards Angel's past. "They're not any more? What happened?"  
  
"He got killed." Angel mumbled as he let go of Buffy's waist and stoop up. He crossed the room and went out on the balcony, in the night, where the others couldn't see him.  
  
"His best friend was murdered?" Buffy turned towards Angel's sister, shocked.  
  
Kristin nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Last summer. He got shot by Angel's girlfriend. In front of Angel." There was a very heavy silence before Kristin continued telling them what happened. "Angel had dumped that slut that night. They had been going out for about 3 or 4 months. Darla got very drunk, she took her father's gun, and she ran into Steven on her way to see Angel. She wanted to have sex with him, but Steven was totally not interested. They started arguing violently and then Angel saw them. He went over to see what was going on, just when Darla shot Steven. She ran away as quickly as she had pulled the trigger. Steven died in Angel's arms."  
  
"That's horrible!" Willow mumbled, feeling extremely sad for Angel.  
  
"What happened with Angel?" Buffy continued with a lump in her throat. She had figured her new boyfriend had had a rough childhood, but she had never imagined it was like that terrible.  
  
"It was nasty. When the cops arrived they thought Angel was the one who had killed Steven. He got locked up for the night, until Darla's father, who was the cop in charge of the case, found his daughter completely insane at home with his gun. She's in jail from what Gunn and Penn found out. Angel had completely disconnected from his former self. He blames himself for everything. I mean...he has always been the brooding type, but now...it's worst than ever." Kristin stopped talking there, because she was pretty sure Angel would mind a lot if she also told his girlfriend and her friends that after Steven's murder he had tried to kill himself and had ended up spending 3 months in an institution.  
  
"I'll be back in a moment guys." Buffy murmured, receiving supporting smiles and nods, and she went to see Angel. She closed the door of the balcony, careful to make noise so that he would realize he wasn't alone. She saw him standing at the far end of the balcony, watching around the garden, nowhere in particular.  
  
"I'm sorry, Angel. We didn't know about Steven, but we shouldn't have asked so much questions." She told him softly, standing next to him.  
  
He remained silent for a long moment. "It's not your fault."  
  
"I wouldn't know, but it must be hard. Losing such a close friend, it"  
  
"Buffy!" He looked at her suddenly, a look of fear on his face. Buffy didn't expect to see that he had tears on his cheeks, and his eyes were red and puffy. "Please stop." He pleaded, looking like a scared little boy. "I can't talk about it. It's too painful." Buffy reached out and wiped off his tears with her thumb.  
  
"Sorry, I'll let you deal with this the way you want. Just remember that I'm here for you." He nodded, and she pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, keeping her close to him. They stayed like this for a long time.  
  
********* 


	17. Part 17

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
17.  
  
~FLASHBACK~ Last June...  
  
"Angel dude, we were all waiting for this day with impatience. Especially the ladies." Penn told his friend as he took a sip of his beer.  
  
"You know, we were all stunned you stayed with that chick for so long." Gunn added with a smirk.  
  
"What can I say...she's great in bed for one thing." Angel admitted, taking the bottle of beer Penn handled him. Everyone around the table whistled and laughed. "And well, at first it was fun. It was a challenge. Most popular girl at school, head cheerleader. And...you all know I like diversity. She was different."  
  
Steven smacked him on the head lightly. "Oh cut it off bro! You fell for that slut, so what? Everybody makes mistakes." Angel was about to reply, but he met his best friend's gaze and rolled his eyes. Steven was a year younger than him, but he had always been the one who understood Angel the best.  
  
"Fine! You won. I had it bad for that fucking chick. That doesn't mean I'm not back to my former self!" He stated seriously. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna enjoy the night. Where's Rachel?"  
  
"Nope, Rachel is done with one-night stands ever since she started dating Pete." Carrie, Penn's girlfriend, informed her friend.  
  
"Fuck. It had been great last time with her. How about Vanessa?" Angel asked Carrie.  
  
She smirked at him. "She's out of town for a couple of days."  
  
Angel sighed deeply and sat back. "Man, I'm too tired to find a new girl tonight."  
  
"Angel, you do realize that you screwed half the goddamn chicks in the neighborhood and that the other half is begging you to get into your fucking bed, don't you?" Penn pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but I just wanna have fun with a friend tonight. By the way, why is it so empty here tonight? Where are the others?"  
  
"You told Jeremy to take a group with him and check the cemeteries for you since you were at the game." Gunn reminded his friend.  
  
"And Jeremy is kinda paranoid these days. He took a lot of back-up. Kris went with them, too." Steven added.  
  
"Oh yeah. Shoot, am I actually gonna have to hit on girls tonight? So not in the mood..." Angel mumbled as he looked around. There were many girls dancing, and he had slept with quite a lot of them, but he wasn't close friend with any of them. Sighing deeply, he leaned on the table. That's when he realized who was sitting next to him, acting as if she had not heard the conversation. "Am I gonna have to seduce you Jess?" He asked his friend Jessica, who grinned at him.  
  
"Maybe" She replied, tracing the lines of Angel's lips with her pointing finger. "Maybe not. Who would say no to a full night of mind numbing sex with the boss?"  
  
"Wanna dance?" Angel asked with a grin, and she nodded, planting a kiss on his lips.  
  
The whole gang of Los Angeles was reunited in the club where they went all the time. It was inside their neighborhood, so they knew everyone around that came here and everyone knew they were the leaders of the city. And they also knew Angel was the boss around here. Tonight, they were celebrating Angel and Steven's last basketball game of the season. Thanks to the 2 of them, the Hemery High basketball team had won the most important game of the year. Since the basketball game and the football game had been scheduled by some moron on the same evening, the cheerleading team had been split in two. Angel had expected to see his girlfriend among the ones who would cheer his team, and when he asked her why she had decided to join the other team, she simply said his team sucked and that they would lose. She'd rather cheer the football players who would of course win. Angel had been hurt by her words and had dumped her, understanding for the first time what all of his friends meant when they wouldn't say her name, and would only say the 'cold-hearted bitch". The basketball players had won, the football players had lamely lost. It was indeed a good reason to celebrate.  
  
A few hours of dancing/mating with Jessica later, Angel came back to his friends' table. He found his best friend missing. "Where's Steven?"  
  
"He wanted to call his girlfriend." Gunn informed him.  
  
Angel was confused "Wasn't she supposed to be here tonight?"  
  
"She was, but her parents grounded her when they found out her boyfriend's best friend was the infamous Angel Connelly." Penn explained with a grin. Steven had been dating Tess for 2 months now, and she had joined their group, becoming close friend with all of them. Her mother was one of Angel's teacher at Hemery, and to say she loathed the boy would be an understatement. She wasn't supposed to find out that her daughter was one of his best friends.  
  
"How long has he been gone?" Angel asked finally.  
  
"He was already gone when I came back to take a drink." Jessica pointed out. "And that was 20 minutes ago."  
  
"I'll go check on him." Angel informed the others and took off, just as a slow song started.  
  
//And I'd give up forever to touch you  
  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
  
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be  
  
And I don't want to go home right now//  
  
Angel walked out of the club, noticing how loud the music actually was, he could still hear clearly the song.  
  
//And all I can taste is this moment  
  
And all I can breathe is your life  
  
Cause sooner or later it's over  
  
I just don't want to miss you tonight//  
  
Suddenly, he stopped walking, as he felt two presences. He looked around and recognized his ex girlfriend and his best friend. Frowning, he walked towards them. *What the hell can they be talking about?* He realized they were arguing, Darla yelling at Steven while he remained calm. Angel walked faster, and his eyes widened when he spotted the gun Darla was holding. And she was pointing it towards Steven's chest. "Darla, no!" He shouted to make her look at him, and stop threatening the guy he saw as his brother. Angel ran as fast as he could...and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the shot. He screamed Steven's name as he threw himself on his knees next to his body, as Darla ran away. His hands shaking madly, he reached out for Steven's cell phone and dialed 911. When the call was over, he threw the phone away and pressed his hands on the bullet wound, which was between Steven's heart and his stomach. "It's ok. I-It's gonna b-be ok."  
  
"A-Angel" Steven gasped out, clutching to his friend's hand to resist to the pain.  
  
"Don't talk...just hold on for a few minutes, the ambulance's coming." Angel murmured, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. There was blood everywhere. Steven's shirt and his own were soaked with Steven's blood.  
  
"I can't breathe...I'm not gonna make it"  
  
"Don't say that!" Angel half-shouted, tears in his eyes. "You're NOT going to die, I'm not gonna let that happen, I swear!"  
  
"It's too painful. I can't" He coughed blood, which leaked on his cheeks. "A-A-Angel!" His entire body was shaking, as was Angel's, and he looked into Angel's panicking eyes.  
  
"Steven, stay with me! Stay with me!" Angel pleaded his dying friend. "Please, the ambulance's gonna be here in a minute, please, please, hang on."  
  
Steven shook his head no slowly, not breaking eye contact. "Angel...you're more than my best friend. You're my brother. Always remember that, please."  
  
"I don't wanna hear that crap! You're not gonna die!" Angel snapped, trying to change position so that he could stop the bleeding more easily.  
  
"Please stop it." Steven coughed again, his throat burning. "Listen to me." Reluctantly, Angel raised his eyes and looked at his friend. "Promise me something." Angel nodded. "Tell Tess she was the best...that I loved her. And also Lizzie and my parents...and Kristin and..." He suddenly coughed harshly. "Oh god!" He realized that he didn't have time left, he couldn't say all he wanted to say. Tears rolled on his cheeks, and he gripped Angel's hand. "Tell them all I love them...I'll miss them."  
  
"Steven what am I gonna do without you? I can't...you can't die. It's not fair." Angel whispered.  
  
"I-I-I...I love you Angel." Steven gasped out. His breathing was harsh and painful.  
  
"I love you" Angel whispered back, as his friend kept his eyes shut tightly. All of a sudden, Steven's body stopped shaking, and his grip on Angel's hand loosened. "No. No. No, no, no, no...Steven! No!" Angel put his hands on his shoulders and shook him a little, trying to make him move or make a sound, anything that would prove what he knew was true...wasn't true. As he realized his brother was gone, Angel burst into tears, holding Steven's body close. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."  
  
In the dead silence of the night, in the middle of the parking lot, Angel could hear clearly the lyrics of the song coming from the club. Someone must have been particularly fond of that song to repeat it all over again.  
  
//And I'd give up forever to touch you  
  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
  
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be  
  
And I don't want to go home right now  
  
And all I can taste is this moment  
  
And all I can breathe is your life  
  
Cause sooner or later it's over  
  
I just don't want to miss you tonight  
  
And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am  
  
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
  
When everything seems like the movies  
  
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive  
  
And I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am  
  
I don't want the world to see me  
  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am//  
  
Soon the siren of the ambulance could be heard louder and louder, covering Angel's desperate sobs.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy had been watching Angel's restless body for about 10 minutes that night. After Angel had calmed down, they had gotten back to the others and watched an other movie before they went to sleep. Kristin and Buffy had insisted that Angel slept here, seeing that he was wounded. Kristin had also insisted that she would sleep in Diane and Frank's room, so that Angel wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. So Angel took his sister's bed and Buffy the other one. Somewhere in the middle of the night, Buffy had been woken up by Angel's whimpers. She didn't know if it would be a good thing to wake him up. Maybe he was simply restless in his sleep, and it wasn't a big deal. But when he started calling out for Steven, she got out of bed and sat next to him, caressing his forehead in an attempt to calm him down. It didn't work, he was more and more agitated. Then tears started rolling on his cheeks, and Buffy decided to wake him up. She shook softly his shoulders, whispering his name. "Angel, wake up. Come on, wake up." After a moment, his eyes shot open, and he sat up quickly, his breathing harsh and his head spinning.  
  
"Steven?" He murmured softly, not sure where he was. A minute ago he had been reliving the events in his sleep, as he had so many other nights. He looked around, confused, and his gaze fell on Buffy, who was sitting next to him, her face full of worry. Then reality hit him and he led his head on Buffy's lap, as her arms came around him. He cried himself to sleep as she gently caressed his arms, and his face, whispering soothing words in his ear.  
  
********* 


	18. Part 18

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
18.  
  
"Morning sleepyhead." Buffy murmured softly in Angel's ear, as she felt him stirring, about to wake up, the next morning. During the rest of the night, neither of them had moved away from the other, so when he woke up, Angel had still his head on Buffy's lap. He sat up when he was fully awake, and looked at Buffy anxiously. He hadn't meant to broke down in front of her that way, especially since it was the very beginning of their relationship. But she felt amazing, having her around was comforting. He had never sleep as peacefully as he had the second part of the night, next to her, ever since Steven's death.  
  
"Morning." He replied awkwardly. She smiled at his discomfort.  
  
"Did you have another nightmare afterwards?"  
  
"No." He paused for a second, to take a deep breath. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"You know...for waking you up and falling asleep on you..."  
  
"Don't worry about that." As he was about to protest, Buffy leaned over and caught his lips in a heated kiss. They both laid down on their side facing the other, never ending the kiss.  
  
A few minutes later, they were interrupted by two of their friends, who were chuckling from the entrance of the room at the sight of the two of them on the bed, engaged in a heavy make-out session. "Hi guys!" Kristin exclaimed happily. Buffy and Angel pulled away slightly and looked at them with a sigh.  
  
"Morning" Buffy murmured, embarrassed. Angel merely nodded and stood up, heading to the bathroom to check on his wound.  
  
"You want breakfast? The others are already downstairs." Willow informed Buffy.  
  
"I'll come in a minute. I just need to change first." The slayer replied, pointing to her duffel bag. The two other girls nodded and exited the room, leaving Buffy by herself. She opened her bag and took out her change of clothes, then stood up and started undressing, forgetting that Angel was in the next room.  
  
Angel's wound was almost fully healed, thanks to his vampire powers, so he got rid of the bandage and went back in the bedroom, only to froze instantly. Buffy was standing her back at him, as she unclasped her bra and threw it in her bag. A second later, Buffy stopped moving as well, her slayer senses telling her she was being watched. She grabbed her t-shirt on the bed and put it protectively in front of her chest as she turned around.  
  
"Angel!" Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. Angel tore his gaze away from his girlfriend's barely covered breasts after he realized he had been staring, and turned around.  
  
"Sorry...I should have knocked or something." He apologized, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked down and groaned inwardly when he realized that the response of his body to the sight of Buffy's bare back and a small part of her breasts was clearly visible through his pants. He quickly grabbed his shirt that he had left on the floor and put it on, making sure it hanged in front of his discomfort, as she quickly finished dressing up.  
  
"You can turn around." She murmured, blushing. He smiled sheepishly at her, and when he saw she was uncomfortable, he walked towards her and engulfed her in his arms, dropping a kiss on her forehead as she buried her head in his chest.  
  
"Excuse me, I didn't mean to spy."  
  
"It's ok." She replied, sounding like a little 8 year old girl.  
  
With a smile, he leaned over and whispered in her ear "If it can make you feel any better, I almost didn't see anything, and the little I saw was really not unpleasant." He felt her smile against his chest and pulled away slightly. He lowered his head to hears, capturing her lips in a soft and gentle kiss.  
  
"Breakfast?" He suggested, after they pulled apart.  
  
"Breakfast." She agreed, taking his hand in hers and following him downstairs with a smile.  
  
*****  
  
The following morning at school, Angel looked around campus, in search of his beautiful girlfriend. They had agreed to meet at school 20 minutes before classes started, so that they could spend a little time together.  
  
"Angel!" Hearing his name, the vampire hunter turned around and smiled when he saw the friendly teacher walking towards him. "Hey, how are you big boy?" She greeted him with a smile.  
  
"I'm fine." He replied simply, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
  
"You've been sick lately?" Jenny continued innocently.  
  
"No"  
  
"Huh, huh. So...are you gonna tell me why you weren't in class last Thursday and Friday?"  
  
"No."  
  
"And what if I tell you I'm gonna report your absence to Principal Snyder if you don't explain yourself?" Jenny told him firmly.  
  
"Go ahead, I don't give a crap." Angel retorted, showing no emotion. Jenny sighed at his stubbornness.  
  
"Angel, listen to me. You're going to have troubles if you keep acting like that." She warned him gently. She really cared about that boy.  
  
He shrugged casually. "So, I missed a few classes, what's the big deal?"  
  
"Look, I don't care if you miss classes. I care about the reason that made you miss them."  
  
Angel paused for a moment, looking into Jenny's eyes, and he saw that she meant what she said. "Why do you care?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"Because I believe that you're not a bad guy. You're a smart boy who grew up way too fast. Because of what happened in your past, you shy away from the normal world."  
  
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" He snapped at her, not really upset by Jenny, more by the truth in her words.  
  
"Do you have any friends at school?" She asked softly, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah" He answered nervously, knowing it wasn't true. Not really.  
  
"I meant real friends. The kind you can tell what you feel. Not your team mates like Hogan or Percy. Have you even tried to be friends with regular students?" When he didn't reply, she figured it would be for the best if she didn't push the issue too far, yet. "Whenever you wanna talk, if you have something that bothers you, if you're feeling lonely, anything, I'm here. Ok?"  
  
"Ok." He nodded, still deep in thoughts.  
  
"So...are you finally going to explain why in the world Angel Connelly is 20 minutes early for class instead of 20 minutes late?" She asked with a teasing grin. He looked up at her and smirked.  
  
"I gotta meet..." He pause just for a second, enjoying the way it sounded "my girlfriend."  
  
"Who's the lucky girl?" *As if I didn't know*  
  
"Buffy. Buffy Summers." He answered with a sense of pride.  
  
*Oh, what a surprise!* "Interesting choice." Jenny commented.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, with that pretty face, you could have any girl at school. It's interesting that you chose Buffy among every other normal girl. She's far from being the regular kind." She explained cryptically, making Angel wonder on what exactly she meant. "You'll find her at the library." With that, she took off, winking at him.  
  
*Why would she be at the library??* Angel walked towards the library, wondering why Miss Calendar had said all that stuff to him. To his surprise, he saw that Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordelia were all sitting around in the library, talking to the librarian...Geeves or something. He entered the room silently, and no one noticed he was there.  
  
"Guys, this is starting to get creepy. I mean...this guy could be anyone...anything!" Cordelia whined, sitting on Xander's lap.  
  
"She's right, you know! This IS creepy. How do we know he's a good guy? Maybe he just wants to kill everyone!" Willow replied, frowning.  
  
"Relax Will! It's not like you're gonna see him anytime soon. I highly doubt he's a teen. I think it's more like...super macho guy, who rides his big bike into the night around America." Added Buffy.  
  
"Yes, well I suggest you..." Giles started, turning towards his slayer, only to see a tall young man in front of him, who was smiling, obviously amused by something. "Who are you?" Giles demanded, wondering at the same time why they hadn't noticed him coming.  
  
"Morning baby" He told Buffy with a smirk, leaning over for a quick kiss.  
  
"Angel...what are you doing here?" Buffy asked him as she stood up anxiously, afraid that he had heard too much. They had been talking about the new demon hunter of Sunnydale for the last 10 minutes, and since she hadn't heard him coming...which was kinda strange...she didn't know how much he had heard.  
  
"We were supposed to meet each other before class...so when I saw you here, I came to talk to you." He replied, smirking. Then he sat on the chair Buffy had been using and pulled Buffy over him so that she was sitting on his lap. "What's with the reunion in the library?"  
  
"Scooby meeting. Exclusively for official members of the Scooby gang. So you should go." Xander answered coldly.  
  
"Xander, shut up!" Willow snapped at him, smacking him on the upper arm.  
  
"We were just talking about...that guy...that...Willow met on the internet." She lied, hoping he wouldn't notice.  
  
"Yeah! He said he was in Sunnydale...and we just said that it could be anyone" Willow added quickly.  
  
"Whatever." Angel murmured, shrugging. He then dropped a small kiss on Buffy's temple and whispered in her ear "Can I see you for a minute?"  
  
"Sure." They both stood up, and took off, holding hands.  
  
Angel led Buffy around the corridors without a word, and then stopped suddenly. He looked around, checking that nobody was there, and grinned at Buffy. She gave him a confused look, and he grinned wider. Before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers, and they were sharing a passionate kiss. Angel reached quickly for the door knob and opened the door of the utility closet, leading them inside without breaking the kiss, and closing the door behind them as soon as they were safely inside. Buffy chuckled when a broomstick fell on Angel, interrupting them. "Are we even allowed to be there?" Buffy whispered, hugging Angel close.  
  
"No, but it's more fun that way" He whispered back, as he gently stroked her cheek and kissed her tenderly.  
  
"Maybe we should turn on the lights. We wouldn't fall on anything if we could actually see something."  
  
"Come on, it's more exciting in the dark. You can't see what I do...that makes you feel my touch more intently." He kissed her lips one more time, then placed feather-like kisses on her jaw, to her neck. "The darkness makes your senses react to my body more fully, you're not distracted by what you see." He murmured in a deep sexy voice as he licked the sensitive spot behind her ear, making her shiver from excitement. Buffy ran her hands on Angel's back and then on his chest, before caressing him at the nape of his neck. His mouth found its way back to her lips, capturing them in a deep kiss. He teased her lips a moment with the tip of his tongue, running it sensually on her parted lips, without entering her mouth. After a moment, she decided he would never give in. Her tongue met his in the middle between their mouths, massaging, caressing. Buffy moved her tongue back into her mouth, hoping he'd get the message. He smiled slightly before slipping his tongue in the confines of her mouth, joining hers again.  
  
*****  
  
Later that day, during lunch, the gang was reunited in the library, with Angel, who was still confused by why they were here...in the library of the school. Buffy had told him that Geeves, or Gil or whatever he was called, was their friend, and they had taken the habit to hang around the library. Angel could see clearly the look of disapproval Giles was sending him, as Buffy sat comfortably on his lap. The vampire hunter smirked at the librarian, tightening his grip on Buffy's waist, and kissed her neck softly, making Giles wince slightly.  
  
"Why are you laughing?" Buffy asked her boyfriend, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He grinned at her and kissed her softly on the lips. As she deepened the kiss, Angel opened his eyes and looked over at Giles, who was watching them, his body taut. Angel smiled on Buffy's mouth, tracing her spine with his finger above her shirt. "What?" She asked again once they pulled away, but keeping her face close to his.  
  
"Daddy doesn't like the boyfriend." He whispered in her ear. She looked at him, still confused, but turned around to look at Giles. He was blushing, and when he met her gaze he took off his glasses and cleaned them with his handkerchief nervously.  
  
"Nah, Giles is just...you know...old. He's embarrassed when he sees two young people make out. Plus he's British." She explained to Angel, placing another kiss on his lips.  
  
"So...hum...Buffy, what are you doing tonight?" Giles asked his slayer as he sat down.  
  
Buffy was about to answer, but Angel did it first. "We're going out." She smiled at her boyfriend, who kissed her quickly in return. "Why sir? Did you have something planned tonight? With my girlfriend?" He stressed the last word, enjoying the librarian's reaction. "You understand that when two persons are dating, they need to see each other, away from grown-ups." He added with a mock politeness that the others didn't notice. But Angel held Giles' gaze, and the older man could see clearly the amusement in the 18 year old boy's eyes.  
  
"Yes...er, anyway. Buffy I would like to see you tonight. Before you go out."  
  
"Can't we do it some other time? I'd rather spend a quiet evening, Giles." Buffy told him with a pleading smile.  
  
"No Buffy. You are going to meet me tonight, whether you-"  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're not her father. You don't have a right to tell her what do to. And she'll be with me, so I don't see why she should see you. It's not like she'll be bored." Angel stated innocently, and smirked when he saw the watcher wince.  
  
"It must be driving him crazy that he can't use his watcher card." Willow whispered in Cordelia's ear, making her chuckle.  
  
"Wow, overly possessive much? He can't even let his girlfriend away from him for one second?" Xander murmured, glaring at the dark haired older boy.  
  
"Oh Xander, shut up! He's not being possessive of Buffy, he's just teasing Giles to death." Cordelia defended Angel.  
  
"And it works." Added Oz, who was watching Giles clean his glasses again.  
  
*****  
  
"Oh shoot!" Buffy exclaimed suddenly. She was in Angel's arms, outside the school, at the end of the last class. The whole gang was talking about what they would do tonight. Buffy and Angel had planned to meet up in the library after Buffy's meeting with Giles, who had insisted she came to 'talk'. "I forgot my bag in the library." She clarified when everyone sent her curious looks.  
  
"I'll go get it Baby." Angel told her. She smiled at him, a bright smile that warmed his heart, and kissed him deeply to thank him.  
  
********* 


	19. Part 19

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
The song is "The Space Between" by Dave Matthews Band  
  
*********  
  
19.  
  
"Hey, Mr..." *Shit! What's his name again?* "Mr. Gives?" *Or maybe it's Geels...whatever!* "Sir?" Angel called again as he walked further inside the library. There was no one, though.*Must be doing the nasty with his girlfriend.* Angel spotted quickly Buffy's bag on the floor next to the table and picked it up. He looked around a moment, thinking how strange this school library was. It had a very dense and powerful atmosphere. Which made him a little uneasy. Subconsciously, he felt drawn to this place. Well, not exactly himself, more his vampire part. If there was one place where he would easily slip into game face without doing it and noticing it, it was this room. *Well, Skip did say that I'd find this town interesting. Looks like he's right again.* When he looked over the cage where students had to return the books, where stood a closet *probably full of books and stuff*, Angel spotted something laying on the desk. Frowning, he walked over the cage and frown even more when he realized he had guessed right. *What the fuck is my favorite stake doing on the desk of Sunnydale High's librarian??* Confused, he picked his birthday present and tucked it in the waistband of his pants. *Looks like there's more to good old Geeves than he lets people see. Gonna have to keep an eye on him.*  
  
*****  
  
"Why on earth would you date someone like him?" Giles asked Buffy, shaking his head.  
  
"Because he's sweet, gentle, trustable, good looking, good kisser! Do I need to tell more?" Buffy snapped at him, starting to get angry.  
  
"Buffy, this boy is older than you, he has a horrible school record,"  
  
"So have I" She reminded him.  
  
"He is undisciplined, disrespectful, older"  
  
"You already said older." She retorted as she crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively.  
  
"Fine. That's not the point. He's not good for you."  
  
"Why the hell not?"  
  
"First of all, you're the slayer, he's a normal boy, and you're not supposed to be dating. Although I won't say anything more about the dating part, because I know you too well. Second of all, he'll have a bad influence on you. You can't take the liberty of getting into troubles at school and in your life. Both as a slayer and as student."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about, Giles. You're only saying that stuff to me because you're mad that Angel teased you like that this afternoon. He was just having fun." She told her watcher calmly, hoping he'd just leave it there.  
  
After a moment of thinking, Giles shook his head and sighed. "Alright, you can date him. But make sure he doesn't know about your secret identity. And...try to keep him from teasing again." He added that last part in a murmur, but Buffy heard him perfectly and grinned.  
  
"So my dear watcher, did you find anything about the names written on the guy's stake?"  
  
"Erm...no, I believe there is no group of people in Sunnydale with those names, but I can be wrong...those can be nicknames. But I think it can be useful to you during patrol. It has been made with extreme care, you have a very good grip of it due to its form, and" He stopped his sentence when he realized the stake wasn't where he had put it. He looked around the desk, the closet with all the weapons, but he couldn't find it. *Maybe I brought it home...* "Anyway Buffy, I think that" He turned around and stopped his sentence again when he saw that his slayer was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. Maybe it was because of the tall dark handsome boy who had his lips glued to hers. Giles had lost her for the night.  
  
*****  
  
"Give me your jacket." Angel told Buffy when he closed the door of his apartment behind them. She took off the black jacket she had been wearing for their date and handed it to him. He put it on a coat hanger with his and joined her in the living room. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder after placing a kiss behind her ear. "Thank you." He murmured softly.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For the date."  
  
She chuckled a little "YOU're the one who paid for the restaurant" She pointed out, intertwining her fingers with his on her stomach.  
  
"I meant thank you for being there. I haven't had fun like that for a long time." He clarified with a smile.  
  
"So...what can we do now?" She asked, relaxing against his chest.  
  
"I want to make love to you."... ...*Oh yeah, I'm sure she wouldn't have freaked if I had actually told her that!* "Whatever you want" He answered, a pang in his heart as he said it. *God, I wish I had told her the first one...I want her so much, I'm not gotta make it through the rest of the evening.*  
  
Suddenly, she turned over and grinned devilishly at him. "I know what we can talk about. Come on."  
  
As Buffy was going over the couch, Angel turned towards his stereo and started it, as he remembered Buffy had asked him for music in the background the last time she was in his apartment.  
  
// You cannot quit me so quickly  
  
Is no hope in you for me  
  
No corner you could squeeze me  
  
But I got all the time for you, love//  
  
She made him sit, and she sat on his lap, resting her back on the arm of the couch.  
  
// The Space Between  
  
The tears we cry  
  
Is the laughter keeps us coming back for more The Space Between  
  
The wicked lies we tell  
  
And hope to keep us safe from the pain But will I hold you again?  
  
These fickle, fuddled words confuse me  
  
Like 'Will it rain today?'  
  
Waste the hours with talking, talking  
  
These twisted game we play//  
  
"What do you wanna talk about?"  
  
"I've got a question for you." He nodded, showing her that he would listen to whatever she wanted to say. "Why Angel?"  
  
He looked confused for a moment. "Why what?"  
  
//We're strange allies  
  
With warring hearts  
  
What wild-eyed beast you be  
  
The Space Between  
  
The wicked lies we tell  
  
And hope to keep us safe from the pain//  
  
"I mean, why are you called Angel? No offense, I love it, but it's a weird name...you know...for a guy and all." She asked, slightly blushing. He groaned, and that made her blush even more.  
  
"It's kinda complicated. It's not my real name."  
  
// Will I hold you again?  
  
Will I hold... Look at us spinning out in  
  
The madness of a roller coaster  
  
You know you went off like a devil In a church in the middle of a crowded room  
  
All we can do, my love  
  
Is hope we don't take this ship down//  
  
"What is your real name?"  
  
"William."  
  
She raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Wow...I can't see you as a William. But maybe it's because I'm used to call you Angel."  
  
//The Space Between  
  
Where you're smiling high  
  
Is where you'll find me if I get tickled  
  
The Space Between  
  
The bullets in our firefight  
  
Is where I'll be hiding, waiting for you  
  
The rain that falls  
  
Splash in your heart  
  
Ran like sadness down the window into...  
  
The Space Between  
  
Our wicked lies  
  
Is where we hope to keep safe from pain//  
  
"The thing is, my great-parents had an argument about my name. My mom's parents are British, and they wanted me to be called William. But my dad's parents are Irish, and they didn't care about the name as long as it was Irish, which is why they wanted me to be called Liam. Which is the Gaelic for William."  
  
// Take my hand  
  
'Cause we're walking out of here  
  
Oh, right out of here  
  
Love is all we need here  
  
The Space Between  
  
What's wrong and right  
  
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you  
  
The Space Between  
  
Your heart and mine  
  
Is the space we'll fill with time  
  
The Space Between...//  
  
"I guess the English won the argument, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And why are you Angel, now?"  
  
"It's a nickname my mom gave me when I was a baby. From what they told me when I was older, it used to annoy to death dad because he thought it wasn't manly enough for his son. But mom used it so often that I never answered to William, only to Angel." He smiled at the memory of his parents telling him the story when he was 8 years old after he came back from school crying because a boy had said his name was girly so he was a girl.  
  
"It's cute."  
  
"Gave me lots of problems though. When I was 11 I asked my parents if I could be called William now, because I was sick of people thinking I was a girl."  
  
"And what made you go back to Angel?"  
  
"I used William for about a year, but then I met one of my best friends Spike. His real name is William, and at that time everyone called him William, too. We decided to change our names. I came back to Angel since my sister never wanted to use anything else, and Spike...well chose Spike."  
  
"Why that name? Spike is weird."  
  
Angel made a face. "I don't know. I guess it was because of his hair...at the time he had it in spikes...I'm not sure. There are a lot of other gory possibilities we imagined, but I'm not going to tell you." They smiled at each other and kissed sweetly. The passion they had both tried to keep inside was let free, and they both laid down on the couch, with Angel on top, as their tongues dueled in each other's mouth.  
  
*****  
  
Later that evening, Buffy and Angel had been fooling around in the kitchen, and Buffy ended up spilling coffee all over Angel's shirt and pants. After lots of apologies from Buffy, Angel had gone to his bedroom to change, so Buffy had gone back to the living room. She looked around for a moment, then her eyes rested on Angel's desk. Curiosity took the better of her and she opened the drawers. In one of them, she found a sketch pad. She remembered that Angel had told her he could draw and he did it from time to time, when he was bored. She opened the sketch pad and was surprised to see a drawing of Cordelia's face. She went through the pages and saw a few more drawings of Cordelia, some of Willow with Kristin, but most of them were drawings of girls she didn't know, and some of them were very very much nude. Not one of them was of her. Not one. Confused, she looked again in the drawer, but the other sketch pad hadn't been used yet.  
  
"You know baby, the next time someone spills coffee on the other, it'll be me on you, cos guys get to see a lot of more interesting stuff when a girl's shirt is soaked wet." She heard Angel comment with a chuckle from the bathroom. Then he closed the door and came back into the living room, just as Buffy put the pad back in the drawer and closed it. He saw her crouched next to the desk and panicked. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Nothing." She replied a little too quickly.  
  
"Did you look through the drawers?" He asked her. Not that he wanted to accuse her or make her feel guilty...but still.  
  
"No. I didn't." She forced herself to calm down, so that he wouldn't notice that she was lying. Apparently it worked, because he relaxed a little.  
  
"Ok. Sorry baby, it's just...this stuff is really private." *Duh! Stakes and knifes and holy water are so private!!*  
  
"Er...I should go." She told him in a small voice.  
  
"Now? Why?"  
  
"I-I'm tired...and my mom will be home soon from that dinner and...I should go."  
  
"Ok...if that's what you want." He relented, disappointment obvious in his voice. However Buffy didn't do anything to reassure him. She took her jacket and went for the door, just turning...to see Angel with his leather jacket on.  
  
"I'm driving you home."  
  
"No, it's ok, thanks." She murmured, shaking her head.  
  
"That wasn't a question Buffy. There is no way I'm letting you walk back home at 11 at night. Come on." He made it clear that there wasn't place for any argument, so she merely nodded and got out of the apartment, with Angel following close.  
  
Ten minutes later, Angel parked the bike in front of Buffy's house. "Thank you for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow at school." She told him quickly as she climbed out of the bike. She smiled a little at him and started walking to her front door.  
  
"Hey!" He called at her, raising his eyebrows, surprised. "Don't I get a kiss or something?"  
  
"I'm tired." She turned over for a second and then walked again towards her house.  
  
"Baby, what's wrong?" He spoke louder as she walked away.  
  
"Nothing, I'm just tired, ok?" She snapped at him, not even turning over. Angel was completely stunned, he couldn't make a sound. When he got his voice back a second later, Buffy was already opening her front door.  
  
"What's with the brush off?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"Just leave me alone!" She half shouted angrily.  
  
"What did I do?" She didn't answer. "Baby?" She was inside her house and without looking back at him she closed the door.  
  
********* 


	20. Part 20

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
20.  
  
Angel hadn't been able to sleep at all during the night, so instead of brooding in his apartment, sitting in the dark, he spent the whole night hunting. The main...and only reason he had been sleepless had been Buffy's behavior at the end of their date. He had figured it was something he had done that had upset her at some moment during the evening, but he just couldn't see what. She had acted weird ever since he came back from the bathroom. It just couldn't be because of what he said about girls' wet shirt...she had understood it was a joke, right? He was teasing her...not insulting her or whatever! Buffy was too smart to misunderstood what he had said. Then what? It's not like he had some dark secret that she could have discovered while he was changing clothes! Well...ok, so he DID have some dark secret that she could have discovered while he was changing clothes, but he didn't understand her behavior. He had checked the drawers and realized that he hadn't put any stake or knife or anything huntingy in the desk on the living room. But she still could have checked in his bedroom. The next question would be: Why in the world would she be looking through his stuff in his bedroom? Nope, that didn't make any sense. And even if she had discovered weapons or stuff, she would have asked why he kept a weird collection of antic stuff...she wouldn't have done that!! So when he arrived at school the next day, he was more confused than ever and convinced that she would explain herself when he would ask her about it.  
  
Angel found her in front of the school building, talking with Willow, Cordelia, Oz and Xander. He took a deep breath and walked over them. "Hey" He murmured to get their attention. They looked at him, stopping their conversation. Oz nodded, and Xander made some witty comment about how he would never be able to get Buffy's attention between the smooches. And to Angel's surprise, Willow glared at him. Cordelia on the other hand didn't show any emotion, as if she didn't know on which side she was supposed to be. Angel swallowed hard before he was able to make a sound. "Buffy...can I talk to you..." He looked at the others' curious faces "in private."  
  
She hesitated for a long time before nodding. Buffy and Angel walked away from the others, the slayer keeping a minimum safe distance between them. "Buffy...is...er...did I...what did I do?" He asked her hesitantly. He looked into her eyes, and was surprised to see anger in them. He concentrated a little so that he'd be able to hear her heartbeat with his vampire senses, and he could feel it had a quick pace. She was far from calm...*is that a good thing??*  
  
"You tell me." She replied coldly.  
  
*Great! The 'You tell me' line is so much better than the 'actually answering the damn question' line!!!* He thought sarcastically. "I honestly don't know. Buffy, I haven't slept all night because I didn't know! I don't know what the hell happened last night! One minute we can't keep our hands off each other and the next one you're avoiding me like I had a disease or something!"  
  
"Just stop pretending ok?" She snapped angrily at him. "I'm sick of your game! What do you want Angel? What do you want from me?"  
  
*Ok...I thought I was confused before...but now...WHAT???* "What are you talking about? What game? And...how am I pretending?" *She just CAN'T be talking about my non-so-human abilities, can she?*  
  
"Was it funny? Using me? Making me feel for you?" She was really close to shouting by now, and Angel couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief.  
  
"I've never..." He paused for a second, as he took in what she had just said. His lips curved in a small smile. "Feel for me?"  
  
"It's really not the issue right now." She retorted, making his smile disappear instantly.  
  
"Right...sorry" *God, I'm becoming her puppy or something! What's up with her? I've done nothing wrong!!* "Just tell me what I did." He pleaded one last time.  
  
"You are a selfish jerk ok? Why did you give me hopes if you didn't give a damn about me? Why did you date me in the first place?" She didn't care that they were in public, she was just too much in pain right now to care.  
  
Now Angel was upset. More than that, he was pissed. How could she say that he didn't care about her? He had fell apart in front of her not once, not twice, but three fucking times! It had taken months for him to trust enough his friends Spike, Faith, Gunn and Penn to show his feelings in front of them. Kristin, Steven and Julie were another matter, he had known them his whole life. And now, Buffy was accusing HIM not to care for HER! *Why did I date her? Because I'm fucking crazy about her!! Can't she see that?* "For the last time Buffy. What did I fucking do?" He almost spat at her. His blood was boiling and he had to fight to stop himself from slipping into his vampire face. His hands were clenched into fists, and that didn't go unnoticed by the slayer.  
  
"I lied ok? I did look trough your drawers! I don't know why I did it, and I'm very sorry I did it. But I found your sketch pad." She explained herself, trying to sound angry and not desperate.  
  
"Huh?" He wasn't sure he had heard it right. *She's upset because of my drawings? What??*  
  
"How can you say you care for me if you don't even think about me when you want to draw something? How did you think I felt when I saw you had hundreds of drawings of girls, a lot of them nude, and you didn't have one of me? How did you think I felt when I saw you didn't even think about drawing me but you drew CORDELIA and WILLOW! God Angel, you even had some of Jenny!! Why do you even bother with me if you don't think about me? Stop acting as if you cared for me." Without leaving him time to reply, she stormed away, tears in her eyes.  
  
Angel stood there, completely stunned. He ignored the curious looks he received from the ones who had seen the argument. After a minute, he went back to his bike and took off, towards his apartment. There was NO WAY he was going to let her believe he didn't think about her.  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy, you okay?" Willow asked her best friend softly. Buffy had been crying in the library for 10 minutes, and Willow and Cordelia had figured she had had enough time alone.  
  
"No" She murmured between sobs. "I miss him so much."  
  
"I know."  
  
"What did he do? After I left. How was he? Did you talk to him?" Buffy demanded quickly, her cheeks stained by her tears.  
  
"Er...no, we didn't talk to him. He...he just took off." Cordelia answered, biting her lower lip.  
  
"He looked so hurt." Buffy sobbed even more as she pictured his face when she told him he didn't care about her.  
  
"Buffy...maybe you overreacted. Maybe it's not what you think. Maybe there were drawings of you...you just didn't see them." Willow told her softly.  
  
"I don't know...I remember that he had put his drawing stuff in the desk when he moved in...and he had others pads that were empty...there was none of me, that's all. And he looked pissed when he saw me next to the desk...like I had done something wrong...like there was something he didn't want me to see." Buffy answered in a whisper.  
  
"Well, you don't really know him. You don't know how he deals with relationships. Maybe at first he thinks he likes a girl, but after a while he loses interest." Cordelia stated bluntly. Buffy couldn't say a word. She buried her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.  
  
Suddenly, the door of the library opened, making the three girls jump. They saw Angel walking towards them, looking really upset. He stopped when he reached the table, and looked at Buffy in the eyes. "Tell me if I care." He told her coldly, throwing something on the table, then took off without looking at her again. Buffy looked at what he had left, it was a sketch pad, with a piece of paper on top. As she saw that Buffy was unable to move, Cordelia picked the paper and read it. Trying to suppress a smile, she handed it to Buffy.  
  
"I practice in the living room. I draw the good stuff in the bedroom."  
  
With shaking hands, Buffy opened the sketch pad, and her eyes watered even more when she saw the first page. It was a drawing of her face, smiling brightly. She turned the page and saw an other one of her, this time her whole body, sitting next to a tree. Buffy looked at every drawing, Cordelia and Willow grinning like idiots the whole time. On each page there was a different picture of her, some of them she remembered from one of their dates, at the movies, the restaurant, at the garage, at school. A lot of them where simply drawings of her face or her body. There were also a few where Angel had drawn himself next to her, kissing her, holding her in his arms.  
  
"Seems like he has a lot of time on his hands." Cordelia commented, exchanging a smile with Willow.  
  
"Buffy, there are dozens of you only in there." Willow added, as if her best friend hadn't noticed.  
  
"I gotta find him." The slayer mumbled before running out of the library.  
  
*****  
  
"Percy! Percy, hey!" Buffy called the basketball player. She had been looking around the school for Angel, but she hadn't seen him anywhere.  
  
"Buffy, what's up?"  
  
"Have you seen Angel?"  
  
"Yeah, he's practicing on the basketball court. Well, it seemed more like he was trying to exert energy...he looked pissed." Percy told Buffy, shaking his head. He hanged often with Angel, but he was sure he would never understand that guy.  
  
"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him before heading to the court.  
  
She stopped a second when she saw him, throwing the ball expertly right in the basket, then she walked towards him, trying to fight back tears. Angel stopped moving when he realized she was next to him, but didn't look at her. "They're beautiful." She told him shyly. Still he didn't look at her.  
  
"I can't believe you thought I didn't care about you."  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Angel. I know I overreacted, but I freaked when I saw your drawings of Cordelia. I didn't think straight."  
  
Slowly, Angel turned around and looked in her eyes. "Buffy, when I practice, I just can't draw you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want to fail you. I want my drawings of you to be as perfect and as close from reality as I can make them. Cordelia is my friend, that's all. Drawing her doesn't mean anything, it's just a different face."  
  
"I'm such an idiot." Buffy whispered, and then she couldn't hold the tears anymore. After a short moment, Angel took a few steps towards her and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair softly.  
  
"Buffy, you have to understand that you're not just a girlfriend to me. I trust you. I take comfort in you. I let you see me when I'm down. I care so much about you baby, never forget that." Angel whispered in her ear, letting her cry on his shirt.  
  
After a moment, he pulled away a little and smirked at her. "Do you think you could give me what you didn't last night when I dropped you home?"  
  
She smiled at him as he whipped away her tears with his thumb. "Definitely." Angel leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
*****  
  
"So, you guys made-up, huh?" Cordelia stated when the gang interrupted Buffy and Angel's make out session, somewhere in a classroom, where supposedly no one would go.  
  
"Yeah" Buffy hugged Angel close, resting her head under his head. "It was just some stupid misunderstanding." Buffy explained, smiling at her boyfriend, who returned the gesture.  
  
"Great. Here goes the smooches again!" Xander mumbled as he took off with Cordelia. Willow and Oz followed them after a moment, leaving Buffy and Angel alone again.  
  
"We have classes you know." Buffy whispered between kisses, as the bell rang, announcing the next class.  
  
"I don't care." To illustrate his point, he caught her lips in a heated kiss, placing his hands on her waist and lifting her to his level. Soon the kiss got out of control, and Angel's hands were roaming on her back. Keeping her as close to his body as he could, Angel made Buffy move back of a few steps until she hit the desk, then made her sit on it. She obliged, and leaned over without breaking the kiss so that Angel could keep his head straight. After a moment she spread her legs and he moved closer to her between her legs as she held his waist with her knees. They stayed this way for a long time, until they were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. They froze, pulling away, and with a groan they turned around to face Principal Snyder.  
  
"Miss Summers, Mr. Connelly! I have to say you make a perfectly adequate couple of troublemakers. Follow me in my office." Snyder ordered coldly, but with a devilish grin on his face.  
  
"We're going down." Muttered Buffy as she climbed off the desk and followed Snyder, Angel behind her.  
  
********* 


	21. Part 21

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
21.  
  
"Sit. Quietly. I am going to inform your teachers that you won't be present for a little while, and I will be back to have a little talk with the two of you." With that, Snyder left Buffy and Angel in his office, closing the door behind him. Buffy looked extremely nervous, as if she was going to explode from stress. On the other hand, Angel looked...bored. He crossed his legs on Snyder's desk and shifted on his chair, trying to be a little more comfortable.  
  
"God, we're screwed!" Buffy murmured for the third time since Snyder left.  
  
"Come on baby, relax." Angel told her with a teasing smile. She looked offended.  
  
"How can you be so cool about it? If Snyder tells my mother..." She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Angel's expression when she mentioned her mother. "Sorry" she sighed, closing her eyes to try and think straight.  
  
"It's ok. I'm just used to this situation. I always spent hours in the principal's office, and I never cared if anyone told whoever was in charge of me about whatever I had done." He explained briefly as he sat closer to her and took her hand in his, making her smile. "So, what do you think is gonna happen?"  
  
"Well, my guess is that there's gonna be a lot of threatening, a bit of humiliation and a big fat punishment." Buffy answered with a sigh.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Angel whispered sarcastically under his breath and let go of his girlfriend's hand as Snyder entered the room. The principal crossed the room and sat behind his desk, going through some papers, without looking at the young couple. Eventually, he broke the silence.  
  
"I never expected much of the two of you." He started bluntly, receiving a blank stare from Angel, while Buffy was chewing nervously her bottom lip. "I can't say that I'm disappointed, because I'm not the kind of school principal who believes in the good nature of teenagers. Now, I have a dilemma...not a bad one of course, dealing with punishment for troublemakers has always been a part of what I consider self- gratification." Angel made a face at that and pushed his chair away from Snyder's desk a little. "Should I warn your parents that their children prefer spending their time giving free expression to the lust they accumulated during early teenage years instead of going to their classes?" He questioned innocently, then chuckled coldly. "Of course, it would help if you had parents." Hearing that, Angel couldn't shut his mouth any longer.  
  
"Or maybe you should call the social services and warn them that your hatred for the children you must take care of as principal of this school has become so important that you are not qualified to work in an environment of students anymore and should be relieved of the burden of such a job." Angel replied with a deep seriousness in his voice that Snyder winced nervously. Buffy stared at her boyfriend with disbelief as Snyder took a deep breath.  
  
"Are you threatening me, Mr. Connelly?" He asked angrily.  
  
"Are you threatening us, Mr. Snyder?" Angel replied evenly.  
  
A few minutes of silence later, Snyder, apparently defeated, decided to get straight to his initial point. "As you know, a week from today is the parents-teacher night. To make up for the previous incident, you will take care of the event. I want you to organize the night, which includes food and banners. I recommend you to act as best as you can. It should ease my comments to your mother, miss Summers, and it should keep you out of troubles with any kind of institution. Whether it is a governmental one or a more...medical one. You know what I mean." As the bell indicating the end of the last period of the morning rang, Buffy and Angel stood up and left the principal's office silently.  
  
*****  
  
"It's gonna be ok, we have time until we have to do anything. The parents teacher night is on Friday evening, so I'm thinking we do the banners on Wednesday and Thursday and we can do the food stuff Friday afternoon. I think Willow and Xander won't mind helping us out, so finally it's not such a bad punishment. What do you say?" Buffy and Angel were sitting at a table at lunch, discussing their task...or rather, Buffy was planning and Angel was staring at her with a half smile that would have made his girlfriend shut up if she hadn't been so concentrated. Eventually, when Angel didn't reply, she noticed how intently he was looking at her and blushed slightly. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"  
  
Angel softly reached over and placed his right hand on the side of her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I love watching you when you're concentrated on planning something." He stated simply, making her smile brightly.  
  
"Does it inspire you?" She meant planning something.  
  
He smiled at her and placed his lips against hers. "Definitely". He meant sex. But she didn't have to know about that, did she?  
  
"How much longer do ya think they're gonna hold it?" Xander's mocking voice came from the other side of the table. Buffy jumped a little, surprised that the rest of the gang was sitting at their table. They had arrived a few minutes earlier, as the two demon fighters were busy exchanging saliva. Although Angel had sensed them close, he had refused to end their kiss and acted like he didn't know they were here.  
  
"Hi guys." Buffy murmured sheepishly. Angel didn't bother acknowledging the others, already fully focused on one and only person. As the slayer started telling her friends about their meeting with Snyder, Angel let his fingers trail down from the back of her head along her spine to the top of her butt. He gently grabbed her side with one hand and pulled her onto his lap. Far from being reluctant, Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and he did so around her waist.  
  
"Buffy? Buffy! Hey!" Xander called her friend while making signs in the air in front of her face to get her attention. They realized they had lost her when she started moaning softly, as Angel was peppering kisses along her collar bone and reached the sensitive spot behind her ear. Eventually his lips found their way to hers and they were sharing a tender kiss. "Wow guys! That's enough!" Xander half shouted out of annoyance.  
  
"What did you say?" Buffy asked Xander, pulling away from Angel.  
  
"Could you quit the groping for a second?" Cordelia told them, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"We have to talk Buffy." Willow added with a shy smile.  
  
"Ok, we'll be good. What did you wanna talk about?" Willow, Oz, Cordy and Xander looked at each other, looking for an answer.  
  
"Well...we saw Giles before coming over there." Xander started, trying to make her friend understand without saying anything.  
  
"Oh" The slayer murmured, embarrassed. If Giles was involved, it could only mean slaying and if slaying was involved...it means having secrets she couldn't tell Angel. *Damn it! I have to tell him! I can't hold it any longer...it's horrible to hide something that big from him. If I want this relationship to go further...and boy do I want it, I have to be honest...but then he'll hate me. Damn it!!*  
  
The deep frown on his girlfriend's face made Angel wonder as to what was going on. "Something wrong?" He asked her kindly, lightly stroking her hair.  
  
"No don't worry, everything's fine" She whispered back, kissing his temple.  
  
"So, what did good ol' Geeves had to say?" Angel asked the others, curious. He and Buffy had grown a lot closer the last few days, and they had spent almost all of their evenings together...just the evening, cos Buffy always had "some family thing with her mom" and he always had to "check some thing on some stuff"...and they both knew their own excuses were lame and they both knew they had to tell the truth some day. Some day being in a very very long time. Anyway, with their relationship going on, Angel didn't find a lot of time to check on the school librarian.  
  
"Well...h-he...wanted...t-to, er" stuttered Willow, shifting uncomfortably on her seat. But before anyone could help her out and find some good lie that would take Angel out of the discussion, Kristin arrived at the table, out of breath.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked as soon as Kristin reached the group.  
  
"Gunn called." She took a few seconds to catch her breath. "And Spike called. Troubles." She answered cryptically.  
  
"Are they ok?" Her brother asked worryingly.  
  
"Them, yeah. Us? It's up to you, Bro." She raised her eyebrows, trying not to forget that she couldn't say too much in front of the others.  
  
"Fuck." Angel mumbled with a deep sigh.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy asked timidly. He raised his head and looked at her, a hint of...determination, force and anger in his eyes that surprised her. She wasn't scared, though. It wasn't frightening...it was strangely comforting. As if she knew that she'd be safe if he was there.  
  
"I gotta go." He answered shortly as he stood up, Buffy doing the same since she was sitting on his lap.  
  
"Where? What happened?" She frowned at his sudden urge to go. He turned around and faced her, obviously worried about something.  
  
"I'll...explain later. I'm sorry baby, I can't stay." He told her while stroking her hair with his right hand.  
  
"When are you coming back?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll call you, ok?" She nodded and they shared a brief goodbye kiss before Angel and Kristin hurried out of the room.  
  
*****  
  
"What did you call it again?"  
  
"Saint Vigious. The night of saint Vigious." Kristin repeated what Gunn and Spike had told her.  
  
"But...how do they know it's gonna be next Saturday night? Why do they know and I don't? And...what's the big deal with that night again?" Angel asked quickly, confused by everything his sister had told him.  
  
"Drusilla and Tara found out the same thing without telling the other...I'd say it's quite a coincidence if you hadn't taught me for the past 4 years that there are no coincidence." Kristin replied, not leaving Angel a choice. Something was going to happen on Saturday night. Drusilla was Spike's younger sister, one of the best friends of Faith and Kristin's. She was living in Manhattan with Angel's old pals, helping them nicely with the visions she'd get from time to time.  
  
Angel looked at her, frowning. "Wait...who's Tara?"  
  
"Tara. Remember the girl with the homicidal parents that you saved from a fire about 2 years ago in LA?" Nope, he didn't. But Kristy knew her big brother saved too many persons to remember them all. On the other hand, he did remember most of the girls he had saved...if he had ended up between their thighs afterwards. No wonder he didn't remember Tara. "She must be the only girl living in the gang's neighborhood in LA you didn't sleep with."  
  
"...Why?"  
  
"Lesbian."  
  
Now he remembered. "Oh yeah! She was into witchcraft, right?"  
  
"Yep. She's helping out Gunn full time now. She discovered books and spells about saint Vigious night. And my guess is, it's gonna be-"  
  
*****  
  
"-rough." Willow finished Cordelia's sentence.  
  
"We're dealing with...how much stronger vamps?" Buffy asked her friends as they walked back together to the library to meet up with Giles and Jenny.  
  
"A lot stronger than the usual kind. When they perform the ritual, they'll double their strength." Willow repeated what Giles had told them.  
  
"Giles! What's the plan?" The slayer asked her watcher when they entered the library.  
  
"Erm...we're...looking into it." Giles replied uneasily. He didn't like feeling helpless.  
  
"We could hide." Cordy suggested.  
  
"Or run away." Willow added, exchanging a nod with Cordy.  
  
"How about fighting? Isn't it my job?" Buffy exclaimed with determination.  
  
"Well...Buffy, if the vampires get together to attack us...we won't be a match against 20 vamps." Jenny told her friend calmly.  
  
"We need other Buffys to fight lots of vamps. One is not enough." Xander pointed out with a goofy grin.  
  
"We have two. Is that enough?" Oz replied.  
  
"What do you mean two? I'm only one!" Buffy protested.  
  
"Oh! Oh yes!" Willow yelled happily, making them jump and making her boyfriend smile. "There's the other one! The...guy...girl, who knows...who's been killing vamps and demons for weeks!"  
  
"Right, but I've been looking for him during patrol...I never met him!" Buffy reminded her.  
  
"Still...it'd be useful, huh?"  
  
*****  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Hey Spikey, what's up man?" Angel greeted his old friend on the phone.  
  
"Not much, how 'bout you?"  
  
"Need help."  
  
"Lemme guess, for Saturday." Spike chuckled, indicating at Faith to come over so that she could listen too. "Faith's here"  
  
"Hey babe" She greeted Angel as she sat on Spike's lap.  
  
"From what you guys and Gunn said...Kristin believes firmly I'll never gonna make it on my own. How about a trip to California?" Angel told them, already knowing their answer.  
  
"We're going to Boston to help out a guy next week, but we'll be there on Saturday morning." Spike assured him.  
  
"Thanks. I'll ask Gunn to do the same. Just like old times."  
  
********* 


	22. Part 22

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
22.  
  
That night, Angel had called Buffy and had reluctantly lied to her about what was going on, making him feel more guilty than even to keep such a big secret from her. He had quickly dismissed the subject and suggested they could see each other the next day. They decided to go have a drink or something after his basketball practice.  
  
"You're sure you don't mind that I watch you practicing?" She asked him a second time, smiling at the thought even though she knew he couldn't see her through the phone.  
  
"I'd be glad." He assured her, also grinning.  
  
"When did you start going to the practices anyway? I thought you played the rebel." She asked him while sitting more comfortably on her bed.  
  
"I went once...just to see how they were playing. I don't really like it though."  
  
"You regret being in the team?"  
  
"No, it's ok, I guess. It's just annoying. Back in LA I was captain and everybody knew how I played. Now...they don't trust me. Well, who would trust the new guy who's here to take the place of 6 of their friends?"  
  
"Don't worry, they'll get along. They just need to actually see you playing." She told him with a chuckle while grabbing a piece of wood and a knife to make it a pointy stake.  
  
On the other side of the line, while they were talking some more, Angel walked around his apartment to get his sketch pad and a pencil, then he laid on his stomach on the bed, ready to draw. But he needed some inspiration. "Baby?"  
  
"Yeah?" It always made her feel happy when he called her that.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
She stopped what she was doing, afraid she had made a noise that would have made him wonder... *wait, how could he figure out what she was doing just by the noise??* "Talking to you." She answered simply, letting the half- made stake and the knife on the floor.  
  
"Ok, but in what position are you?" He asked her, trying to picture her in his mind.  
  
"Er...I'm on my bed...sitting...why?"  
  
"I wanna draw you."  
  
"Aawww, Angel, that's so cute! How are you gonna do it?"  
  
"I just need you to answer a few questions so that it's easier to picture in my head, ok?"  
  
"Sure." She answered giggling.  
  
"First of all...lay down on top of the bed, I'm no good at drawing sitting positions." She did what he asked and laid down on her back.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Tell me where your legs and arms are."  
  
"my left leg is slightly bent next to the right one...I'm holding the phone to my ear with my right hand and my left hand is resting on my stomach." She answered dutifully, biting her lips to keep from laughing. Angel started drawing her.  
  
"Are you holding something besides the phone?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You resting your head on a pillow?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"How's your hair?"  
  
"messy...but don't draw it that way!" She said quickly, frowning at his chuckle.  
  
"Baby, I don't want to make anything up, I'm drawing you."  
  
"My hair is in a ponytail."  
  
"What are you wearing?" He smiled at that. It wasn't the first time he said that to a girl on the phone, but this time he doubted it would lead to phone sex...too bad, he was starting to feel the effect this conversation was having on him more and more painfully.  
  
"gray pajamas bottom with bunnies on them and a white tank top."  
  
*God she's so cute!* Trying to picture her clothes while drawing, he couldn't help but asking something else. "Do you have your panties on?"  
  
"Angel!" She couldn't believe he had asked her that.  
  
"What? Do you?"  
  
After a moment of thinking, she decided it wouldn't hurt to answer. After all, he was the one to start it. "No, I don't."  
  
"Oh yeah, now I found inspiration" He teased her, as he tried to fight against his desire for her.  
  
"What about you, what are you wearing?"  
  
"Jeans and a t-shirt. Black."  
  
*How strange of him!* she thought sarcastically. "Take off your shirt." She ordered playfully.  
  
"I'll do it if you do it."  
  
"I can't! My mom is home, what do you think she'll say when she finds her 16 year old daughter laying on her bed topless talking to some stranger on the phone?"  
  
"Fine, I'll do it. Alone. But just for you." He relented and took off his t- shirt.  
  
"Thank you sweetie."  
  
"Done."  
  
"You're shirtless?"  
  
"Yeah" He assured her while correcting some details on his drawing.  
  
"What else are you wearing? Your pants...anything else?"  
  
"nothing except boxers."  
  
"Take the pants off." This time, Angel couldn't help but laugh of the irony of the situation. He girlfriend was getting naughty and he wasn't even next to her.  
  
"You sure you can handle it?"  
  
"Do it already!"  
  
"Ok ok!" He let his pencil down and stood up. Keeping the phone between his shoulder and ear, he unbuttoned his fly and pushed the pants down his hips and kicked them out of the way, then took the phone back in his hand. "I'm in boxers. You satisfied yet?"  
  
"Much better." She murmured appreciatively as she tried to imagine him laying down next to her that way. Eyes closed, her own hand traveled under her shirt and she lightly caressed her breasts, wishing it was his hand doing it. "Tell me what you would do if you were next to me" she demanded almost in a whisper, but Angel heard her perfectly.  
  
He thought for a second about the situation. *Damn, she can't possibly mean she wants phone sex, can she? She's not that kind of girl...what does she want? God I gotta be careful and not go too far.*  
  
"Angel?" He heard her sweet soft voice and jumped out of his thoughts.  
  
"I'm here baby."  
  
"I miss you." She told him truthfully. They had seen each other that morning, but she couldn't help it. She missed him every second he was not holding her hand.  
  
He was terribly touched by her words. It hit deeply in his soul, and he felt...blessed. He couldn't described it. "I miss you too."  
  
"Tell me what we'd be doing."  
  
"Well, I'm laying next to you, facing you. I'm caressing your face with my hand, and all the while looking at the expressions on your face to know what you like the best. My hand is traveling down, brushing your skin, on your arms and I stop when I reach your stomach."  
  
"Keep going." She asked dreamily.  
  
"I slip under your shirt and I go up, exploring slowly. Eventually, I brush softly the outlines of your breasts and I look into your eyes to ask you if you want me to continue."  
  
"Please Angel, keep going." She moaned in the phone, one hand following his instructions as if it was his.  
  
Angel was laying on his back, his drawing discarded for the benefit of their little game. His eyes were closed, concentrating. "I move closer to you and brush my lips against yours. I cup your breast with one hand and support my weight on the other so that I can move even closer on top of you without crushing you or breaking the kiss. You start to lick my lips with the tip of your tongue, teasing me, taunting me to go further. My tongue meets yours and the kiss becomes amazingly intense, while I caress your breast with my hand, my thumb playing with your nipple." He heard her moaning through the phone and smiled proudly. "You like that, huh?"  
  
"I want you to do everything you said. Touching me, caressing me. I don't wanna be alone tonight."  
  
"I can't come over Buffy. Your mom is there." He reminded her sadly. "Look, maybe we" He was interrupted by a knocking at the door of his bedroom and looked up to see his younger sister staring at him, trying not to smile.  
  
"What is it Angel?"  
  
"Kristie, what are you doing here?" He asked her, letting his girlfriend know who it was.  
  
"Patrol, remember? Tonight, the two of us?" She whispered so that Buffy wouldn't hear.  
  
"Shit, I forgot!" He ignored the looks his sister was giving him and started to put back on his clothes. "Buffy baby I gotta...t-talk with Kristin. I would stay here and keep talking with you but...it's...important."  
  
"Alright. Fine." She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice but failed miserably.  
  
"I'm really sorry. I-I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"  
  
"Sure. Goodbye."  
  
"Good night baby." As he hung up the phone, he stared at it a few minutes.  
  
"God, you're falling hard for her. What happened to you?" Kristin exclaimed, worried for his brother.  
  
"I don't know." He looked at her and sighed heavily. "But I'm scared."  
  
********* 


	23. Part 23

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
23.  
  
Buffy and Angel were walking hand in hand in the streets of Sunnydale, under the moonlight. There was a tension between them that made Buffy very uneasy. She couldn't bear it any longer, it was killing her. She wanted more than anything else to tell Angel that she was the slayer, but she was afraid he'd hate her for showing him the true face of the world. "Angel...I need to tell you something."  
  
"What is it?" He asked gently, facing her.  
  
"I...er...let's go to sit in the park, ok?" He nodded and they walked to the small park, and sat under a tree next to each other.  
  
"Take your time my love."  
  
"I didn't really tell you everything you need to know about me." She started hesitantly and looked into his eyes. He was looking at her, a confused expression on his face. "I'm not like everyone else...but no one can know about it. Only Willow, Xander, Oz, Cordy and Giles know about my secret. I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but...I was scared you would reject me."  
  
"Tell me, it's ok."  
  
"I'm...I'm a vampire slayer."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A vampire slayer. The slayer. I fight vampires and demons. It's...complicated."  
  
He frowned, confused. "What are you talking about Buffy?"  
  
"Angel...I'm sorry I have to tell you about that, it'd be better if you didn't know about the truth, but if we want to have a future together, I can't keep lying to you. Vampires are real. And demons, witches...all that stuff is true."  
  
"It's not funny Buffy, why are you telling me that?" He asked a little harshly.  
  
"Please don't be mad, I'm not kidding, this is serious." She pleaded, taking his hands and staring into his eyes.  
  
"You actually believe that? Vampires are myths. Legends. Stories made up to scare little kids."  
  
"No, I swear Angel, I'm telling you the truth. They're real, and I fight them. I have...supernatural powers that make me able to kill them."  
  
"You're crazy!" He spat at her, standing up, looking at her in disbelief.  
  
"Look, I can show you I'm not lying. We can go to the cemetery, you'll see vampires there." She kept on, standing up also.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere with you! There's obviously something wrong with you, and I don't go out with insane girls. Just forget about it ok?" He started to walk away, and panic rose in Buffy's body. It wasn't supposed to go on that way.  
  
Suddenly, a vampire jumped right in front of Angel and shoved him aside, fangs out and growling. Buffy ran to them, stake in hand, and after a short fight with the vampire, she dusted him. After a beat, she looked over at where Angel was sitting, looking at her with anger and betrayal in his eyes.  
  
"Did you really believe I had to know about that? What made you think I wanted to see that disgusting side of you?" He yelled at her.  
  
"Angel, please calm down" She had tears in her eyes.  
  
"You better not come anywhere near me. I want a normal girlfriend, not a freak like you!"  
  
...not a freak like you...normal girlfriend...freak like you...freak, freak...normal...  
  
Buffy's eyes shot open and she woke up from her nightmare. She was in her bed...nothing had happened. Angel didn't know...*Oh god, what am I gonna do? I can't tell him! If he finds out...he'll hate me...please no* With tears rolling down her cheeks because of the harshness of what Angel told her in her dream, she laid back in bed and waited for the sun to rise.  
  
*****  
  
While Buffy had been dreaming of telling Angel about her secret, he was discussing the same matter with Kristin, during their patrol in the cemetery.  
  
"Do think she'd understand?" He asked his sister, fingering with his stake.  
  
"Well...I think so. She's cool, and she loves you, I don't know why"  
  
"WOW WOW WOW!! Hold it there! What did you say?"  
  
"She's cool?"  
  
"No, the loving me part." He told her, his eyes wide.  
  
"Oh...right. So?"  
  
"H-how...how do you...why do you say that? Did she tell you...something?"  
  
"No, but I talked with Willow about it."  
  
"B-but what makes you think she loves me?"  
  
"Come on, it's obvious. One look at you and she's completely out in wonderland! She talks about you non stop when you're not there and when you are, she doesn't talk because her mouth is glued to yours. You guys talk on the phone for hours every night and from what I saw, you don't talk about the weather." She winked at him as she kept walking, and he followed her, confused.  
  
"What did you actually see? And heard?"  
  
"Er...I saw you laying on your bed, clad only in boxers, and obviously quite aroused by what you were talking about with her."  
  
"I..."  
  
"Where do you think it would have gone if I hadn't interrupted you?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"I don't know. I hadn't planned it...we just...you know...It didn't feel weird so neither of us stopped it."  
  
"Then lemme give you a piece of advice. Have sex with her, but NOT by phone! Keep that for when you'll have been intimate for a while."  
  
"Ok...why?"  
  
"Because you may be experienced, but she's not" Kristin told him, raising an eyebrow at his question.  
  
"I don't know about that."  
  
"I'm telling you. She's a virgin. It's obvious and also she's only 16."  
  
"So what? You're 15 and you already had sex. And I'm 18, and I've been having sex for years."  
  
"Fine. Talk about it with her. You'll see." She smiled sweetly at him and sighed. *I can't believe I'm giving him advice for his love life! How many times did that happen in the past? Close to never? He never needed me before...why is it that he's so scared of his relationship with Buffy?* "Angel, I know I shouldn't ask you that, but...do you love Buffy?"  
  
Angel stared at his sister for a long time, without saying anything. She regretted asking him that, because she recognized that look of pain in his eyes. She had seen him that way after Julie got killed, and after Steven got killed. Even though that night it wasn't as intense as it had been before, that look scared her, because she knew her brother could make stupid decisions when he was hurting.  
  
Eventually, he broke the silence. "No. I don't love her. I can't. I won't. Never."  
  
She knew perfectly well she shouldn't ask that..."why not?"  
  
"Because I don't want her to die." Without much more than a second, he was on his way out of the cemetery to go home.  
  
*****  
  
"Hi man!" Hogan greeted Angel the next day. He and Percy were walking towards the locker room when they spotted Angel.  
  
"Hey." He nodded to the two of them.  
  
"I'd like to warn you man, the coach is back. And he's gonna be hyper, 'cause the game is in two weeks. My advice? Come to practice. Every time. Especially on Wednesday and Saturday."  
  
"Yeah, well I won't." Angel told them simply, shrugging.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I've got stuff to do."  
  
"You're a dead man." Percy made a face, and they reached the changing room.  
  
A little later, they arrived on the court with the others. The coach was already there, and also Brad. When Angel spotted him, he clenched his teeth to control his anger. What was HE doing talking with his girlfriend? Buffy was sitting on the benches next to the court, and Brad was standing in front of her, touching her on the shoulder, on the arm.  
  
"What the fuck is that bastard doing with my girl?" He almost growled, but he kept control and didn't slip into vamp face. He really didn't like that guy.  
  
"Hitting on her." A guy called Pete told him.  
  
"Yeah, he's been all over her for the past 10 minutes." An other one added with a smirk as Angel was walking towards Buffy and Brad.  
  
"I'm not interested Brad." Buffy told him once more, trying to get him to stop bothering her.  
  
"Come on honey, you're so hot, I can't stay away from you."  
  
"Just stop, ok? In case you didn't get it, I'm with Angel."  
  
"That fucking loser will dump you as soon as he gets between your thighs. You need someone good looking, sweet, popular at school."  
  
"And that dream guy would be YOU, right?" She spat at him with disgust.  
  
"You want someone who's gonna make you" Brad started seductively, only to be interrupted by Buffy's pissed boyfriend behind him.  
  
"Who's gonna make you what?" He asked menacingly to catch their attention.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed with a smile. She stood up, brushed past Brad and took refuge in Angel's strong arms encircling her small waist.  
  
"Hi" He greeted her with a quick kiss.  
  
"I'm so glad you arrived. Couldn't take it anymore." She whispered as she pressed her face against his chest, seeking comfort.  
  
"Do you want me to kick his ass?" He whispered back and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"No thanks, I'm ok. Just hold me." Angel glared angrily at Brad, who was fuming inside.  
  
"Yo! Brad and the new guy! Come over here!" The coach yelled suddenly.  
  
"I'll see you after baby."  
  
"I'll wait here." They kissed briefly, then Buffy sat back and watched her boyfriend cross the court with Brad.  
  
"If you think I'm afraid of you, you're dead wrong." Brad muttered under his breath.  
  
"If you say so." Angel answered him in a way that showed he didn't believe him at all.  
  
"I have popularity. I have power at school and in the team. You're nothing for them. If I want to, I can make your life miserable. Nobody cares for what happens to a loser like you. You'll see."  
  
"Unless I'm wrong, not everyone knows who you are. Not the ones who don't give a damn about basketball. You're not the captain of the team, that would be Hogan. You're not dating the most popular girl at school and head cheerleader. Remember? Cordy hates you, and she's my friend, not yours. And also, last time I checked...you weren't dating the hottest chick around, Buffy's my girl, and you better stop bothering her. Don't live in denial, you're not what you think you are." Angel told him with a dangerous seriousness in his voice and in his eyes.  
  
"Fuck you" Brad mouthed at him as they reached the rest of the team.  
  
The coach started his speech. "All right guys! First of all, I've got good news. You guys remember Harry Crowe?"  
  
"Yeah, he was in the team last year but he switched to football this year." Percy answered loud enough so that everyone could hear.  
  
"But the thing is, he sucks at football, and the coach told him he'd better switch back. Which he did. He'll be back next week and will play at the game in two weeks." The coach continued. "That means we'll have only one replacement for the next game, but we'll have one, it's better that none, right? Now, the new one." He looked over at where Angel was standing, looking bored. "Angel Connelly, isn't it?" Angel nodded. "How do you play?"  
  
"I think I know the rules." Angel answered coldly. He didn't like that guy. Jack, Hemery High's basketball team's coach, was a hell of a good coach, he missed him in situations like that. And every other of his previous team mates for that matter.  
  
"Don't play the smart ass with me boy, you'll regret it." He smirked at Brad. "Anyway everyone, since Harry is gonna be there, I figured we wouldn't need Angel. He'll make an amazing replacement, I'm sure."  
  
Most of the guys in the team, who remembered very well Angel's performance from a few weeks ago, were ready to protest, and Hogan spoke first. "But coach, you haven't seen him in action. You can't make that kind of decision without testing him!"  
  
"Do you know why he joined the team?" The coach looked at Hogan and the others, except Angel with a sadistic grin. "I believe Principal Snyder made him do it. Because it was that or no team at all. NOT because he's any good. And as a coach of this team, I only want the best."  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment, until Angel's chuckle broke the silence. "I am SO out of here." He mumbled with a bored mocking smile. As he started to walk away, he heard some other player asking the coach a question.  
  
"Are you sure we'll be able to beat Hemery at the next game, coach? The have a big reputation." Angel stopped abruptly and walked right back to the others.  
  
"You'll be playing Hemery High from LA?" He demanded with a frown.  
  
"Yes. Why, afraid someone will get hurt, so you'll have to play and we'll actually see how bad you are?" Brad challenged him, making a couple of his best friends chuckle.  
  
Angel smirked at him. "Oh, usually I would have just quit the team, I don't like being to guy who stays on the bench, but now...I wouldn't miss it for the world." With that cryptic comment, he left the group and walked back to the locker room with his worried girlfriend.  
  
*****  
  
"So you're not gonna do anything about it?" Buffy asked Angel incredulously. They were sitting at a table at the Expresso Pump and Angel had just finished telling Buffy the whole story.  
  
"What do you want me to do? He doesn't want me to play, he's the coach. There's nothing I can do." He shrugged and sipped on his coffee.  
  
"You can tell Snyder. He's the one who made you join the team in the first place. He had good reasons to think you should join, right?" She suggested, trying to help. He just glared at her. "What? You gotta stop being so anti- social with everyone at school!"  
  
"Can you please drop the subject? I'm really not in the mood." Angel snapped at her suddenly.  
  
She looked at him in surprise, and when she saw the anger in his eyes she looked down at her lap, trying not to look hurt. "Sorry."  
  
Hearing her soft innocent voice reflecting hurt and sadness, Angel's anger melted instantly. He reached out and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. "Excuse me baby, I didn't mean to hurt you."  
  
"Well...maybe you can make it up to me." Buffy stated with a sweet smile.  
  
"Do you think a kiss is gonna be enough?" He asked as he leaned forward over the table to reach her lips.  
  
"Go ahead, I'll let you know." She replied seductively, and he kissed her sweetly, letting his lips linger on hers a little longer than necessary before pulling apart. He then looked at her expectantly, but she wore an expression of mock boredom.  
  
"Nope, didn't work, I'm still mad at you." She exclaimed after a moment.  
  
"Damn. Er...how about that?" He leaned forward once more and this time kissed her on the shoulder. He trailed soft kisses from her shoulder to her neck, delighted by her little moan of pleasure when he started nibbling at her earlobe. He cupped her face with one hand, reaching for her hand with his other hand, and his lips found their way back to her mouth in a passionate kiss.  
  
When he sat back on his chair, without letting go of her hand, she couldn't help but grin. "That was better."  
  
"I try." Angel stood up and walked around the table, standing behind Buffy. He lowered his head to her neck once more, licking and kissing the sensitive skin there. "What do you say we go back to my place and I show you what else I can do?" He suggested in a deep sexy voice that made Buffy tingle all over, just imagining what exactly he could be talking about.  
  
"Oh god, I want so much" She murmured sadly, making him stop.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I..." She looked into his eyes, and felt guilty that she already had plans. But she was supposed to go over to Willow's with the guys and research on the net about Saint Vigious night, then she had to go patrol. "I've got plans with the gang... I can't go out with you tonight." *Another lie. Again. God, if he learns that I lied to him so often...*  
  
"Come on Buff, I know your friends, and I don't think they hate me. Whatever it is you're doing I can come, right? I just want to spend time with you. I miss you like crazy when I'm alone at home." He pleaded with puppy dog eyes. She was crushed by what he told her about his feelings for her, and still she couldn't do anything about tonight. She stood up and hugged him tightly kissing his temple.  
  
She decided to be honest...but she couldn't say much anyway. "I'm sorry sweetie, I've got...stuff to do that you wouldn't understand...it's too complicated to have you there. I want to spend as much time as I can with you too, I don't ever want to say goodbye to you but...I just don't have a choice."  
  
"Ok. I understand, I won't ask anymore questions about it." *Hell yeah I understand, I would have said the exact same thing than she did if the situation had been inversed...of course, it's not like she had some dark secret like...well me.*  
  
"I have to go meet Will and the others. Then I'll be home late, but I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"  
  
"I have stuff to do anyway, so it's fine. Tomorrow I was supposed to work at the garage the whole afternoon, but we'll work something out." He assured her with one of his trade-mark half smile.  
  
"You're the perfect boyfriend." She murmured as she kissed him on the lips. "Bye"  
  
*Perfect...right, except the fact that I'm a half-vampire demon hunter and keep lying to you day after day. How perfect is that?* He thought sadly as he watched her go. *Oh well, at least I'll have time to go to the magic shop*  
  
********* 


	24. Part 24

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
24.  
  
When he explored Sunnydale for the first time, Angel noticed a few strange details. First of all, there were a lot of cemeteries. He didn't remember the exact number, but it was more than usual, that he was sure of. Also, for such a small town, he thought that three magic shops were a lot. No wonder Skip and Whistler didn't look upset that he had been sent to Sunnydale. There was an amazingly big population of vamps and demons. Why? He didn't know. Whistler, his messenger for the PTB and Skip, his guardian who was also directly linked with the Powers had only paid him a short visit in the psychiatric institution he had stayed in last summer after he had tried to kill himself, and they hadn't said much about the town. He'd have to ask next time he saw them. The only thing he knew was that here, where the demonic population was maybe even higher than in LA, people were as oblivious of what was going on in the night as in Los Angeles...maybe even more. Which meant a big deal. In LA, after about 2 weeks of living there, Angel had met quite a few kids who knew. He had been living in Sunnydale for month now, and still he hadn't met a living soul who didn't live in a land of denial, except the owner of this magic shop.  
  
The main magic shop was located a block away from the Expresso Pump, so Angel went directly there after Buffy had left. It wasn't his first time in here, he came here almost every week or so, mostly to get new books on demons, since he had left half of his collection to his friends in LA, or to buy a new weapon...And since he came so often, the owner knew him very well (although he didn't really know about Angel's vampire side), and was able to help him out in his book research from time to time. When he entered the shop, Angel noticed that Mr Schreiber was busy with a client, so he went directly to the book shelves.  
  
After a few minutes, another regular entered the shop and stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the dark-haired boy standing in front of the book shelves, concentrated deeply on the book he was holding. She figured he had been just curious and came here to have a little fun, so she was about to greet him, but she stopped once more when she saw the owner crossing the shop to go talk to him. She discreetly hid behind a shelf full of ingredients and witchcraft accessories, close enough to hear them.  
  
"Hello Angel." The man greeted his regular friendly client.  
  
"Hey Mr Schreiber, how's business doin'?" Angel replied while shaking his hand.  
  
"I really shouldn't complain, but with Christmas approaching, I have more and more clients, which means more work. I'm an exhausted man! Well, at least an exhausted man who makes a lot of money." The small bald man answered with a sigh.  
  
"Where's that hot employee of yours? Did she left you already?" Angel asked him with a grin. Mr Schreiber had discussed her employee with Angel a lot of times. She was a tall fat 50 year old with a horrible temperament and a bad breath, and poor old Schreiber was scared of her.  
  
"Thank god she quit! I couldn't handle the pressure any more!"  
  
"So you're alone now?"  
  
"Sadly, yes. So much work is overwhelming."  
  
Angel looked at Mr. Schreiber with a sudden idea. "Would you want me to work for you?"  
  
The little man raised his eyebrows in wonder. "W-Would you like to?"  
  
Angel smirked at him. "I could use the money."  
  
"What an excellent idea! Come back tonight after I close he you can, we'll be able to talk a little more." Angel nodded, and Mr Schreiber eventually took interest in what Angel was looking at. "Do you need any help finding something?"  
  
"I think I found what I was looking for." He showed him the few books he had picked up.  
  
"Vampire cults...vampire traditional rituals...black arts demonic rituals...the journal of Sir Aguistin of Pearsanach..." Mr Schreiber read as he walked back to the counter, Angel behind him. "You do know that the journal of Aguistin is written in Gaelic, right?"  
  
"Yeah, it's no problem I speak Gaelic." Angel answered as he opened his wallet.  
  
"Really? Who taught you?"  
  
"My great-father. He was Irish. He used to speak to me only in Gaelic when I was a kid. Although he died a long time ago, so I kinda forgot some stuff. But I can read it." Mr Schreiber looked deeply impressed as he wrote the price of the books and their name on a note book.  
  
"Do you need anything else?"  
  
"Oh yeah! I need a talisman."  
  
"What kind?"  
  
"Protection. My sister's freaking out because of her foster parents. She's paranoid, but I promised to pick one for her."  
  
"How's this one?" The old man asked Angel, handing him a round old-looking golden talisman.  
  
"That'll do. Thanks." As Angel was paying for his books and the talisman, and also chatting a little more with Mr Schreiber, the woman who was watching him decided to show herself and confront him...nicely.  
  
"Jenny, how nice to see you!" The old man exclaimed as he noticed one of his favorite client coming their way. Angel frowned at the name and turned around, his eyes widening when he recognized his computer teacher(...and favorite teacher).  
  
"Hello you two!" She greeted cheerily.  
  
"Miss Calendar...h-hi!" Angel replied hesitantly. *Crap, what do I do now? Why the hell is she here? Shit, she's friend with Buffy, she's gonna tell her her boyfriend's a psychotic obsessive vampire fan! Shit, shit, shit!*  
  
She smiled warmly at him. "It's Jenny outside of school."  
  
"Jenny...right. What..."  
  
"Am I doing here?" She finished, chuckling at his nervousness. "Shopping a little. I like that kind of shops. What about you? What's a young man like yourself doing in a magic shop?"  
  
"Er...I...well..."  
  
"Vampires, huh?" Jenny looked at the books he was holding, and he followed her eyes to see what she was talking about.  
  
"Oh yeah. I like stories about vampires. I usually get books at a magic store cause the authors are a lot more lunatics than in a regular fiction novel. It's funny to see how they seem to believe in what they're writing about." He was amazed at how easy it had been to say that...huh, maybe he was a good liar after all...but still, it's bad to lie to your girlfriend. Bad, bad, bad!  
  
Jenny frowned a little, confused, but then smiled again. "So you don't believe in vampires and demons and everything?"  
  
"Let's just say that the idea of having them running freely into the world is a lot less appealing than reading about them in books." He answered with a half-smile. It wasn't a direct answer, and Jenny found herself more and more suspicious that Angel knew more than the average 18 year old. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class."  
  
"Sure, if you suddenly decide to show up." Jenny teased him with a grin.  
  
"Oh fuck!" Angel muttered under his breath as he was about to walk out of the shop. It was raining like crazy outside, and he expected a big storm to hit Sunnydale within a few minutes.  
  
"Did you walk here?" Jenny asked Angel from where she stood next to him, the few things she had bought for a spell in her purse.  
  
"Yeah. I had a date with Buffy and my bike's out of gas." He cursed under his breath, silently praying for the rain to stop. He didn't want to go home under that crazy weather, he'd be soaked, and so would his books.  
  
"Want me to drive you home?" She suggested with a grin.  
  
"You don't mind?"  
  
"Nope, I don't have to be anywhere soon, I have time."  
  
"Well that'd be great, thanks!"  
  
Angel and Jenny ran quickly to Jenny's car, which was parked on the other side of the street.  
  
"If you don't mind I need to drop a few things at home first. I just went grocery shopping and I should put the stuff in the fridge." Jenny told him as she started the car.  
  
"Sure, no problem."  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Jenny's curiosity kicked in. "How're you doing with Buffy?"  
  
Angel looked at her with a frown, surprised that she asked, but answered anyway. "Fine I guess."  
  
"You guess?"  
  
"Well...the thing is, I wanna be with her all the time, you know? But either she has family issues, stuff to do at the library, or I gotta work to get money and be able to afford to actually go on a date with her." He confessed, feeling weird that it didn't feel weird to share that much with his teacher.  
  
"Ah, yeah, it's tough. But Buffy's a very special girl, I think-"  
  
"-she's worth it." Angel finished, a little smile appearing on his face at the thought of all the things that made Buffy so great.  
  
They drove the next five minutes in comfortable silence, until Jenny parked in front of her house. The storm had only gotten worse, there were flashes of lightening in the sky, making this dark afternoon quite creepy. "Wait in here, it'll only take a minute." Jenny told Angel as she grabbed her bags on the back seats. She ran to her house to put her stuff away, while Angel remained in the car.  
  
*What is it with that woman that makes me feel so weird? She's amazing! She's nice, sweet, caring...hell, she's hot! But there's something more that I can't help but feel attracted to...damn...* Angel was still deep in thoughts when suddenly, a familiar tingle ran up and down his spin. In full hunting mode, he scanned the area, trying to detect a sign of danger. Years of practice kicked in and he was able to feel (through the storm, and he was quite proud of it) two human presences not far, surrounded by two *no...three...four...holy shit, six! Six fucking vampires!* He rushed out of the car just as Jenny came out of the house. She stood under her front porch in surprise.  
  
"Angel? What are you doing?" She called at him with a frown.  
  
"I'll be back in a minute. Stay inside!" He started to run under the violent storm, the wind blowing the sharp rain in his face, but he didn't care, he had lived through much worse. *What the fuck are six vampires doing outside at this hour??* He realized that even though it was the afternoon, the sun was completely hidden by the dark clouds of the storm. Vampires out in the day...that should be interesting. Following his sixth sense, he arrived at the entrance of a small forest, and out of nowhere a scream was heard. Using his vampire speed, he ran into the woods following the voice of the woman.  
  
Soon, Angel saw the six vampires around the two girls, who were shaking in fear, one of them screaming madly. Angel grabbed his stake and walked closer to the group.  
  
"Hey people! Shouldn't you be safe inside? If you didn't notice it's pouring non-stop out here!" Angel shouted so that they'd be able to hear him. The three vampires who had their backs at him turned around, snarling, showing fangs. "Did I interrupt something?" He asked innocently, but his smile gave him away.  
  
"Who are you?" Growled one of the tallest vamps.  
  
Angel made a mock-disappointed face. "You mean you don't know me? Damn, I've been around for months, I figured that now people would have heard of me!"  
  
"I'm gonna rip your throat out for your insolence little boy" bellowed an other one.  
  
"Wait!" The vampire who seemed to be the leader held his hand in the air, stopping his friend from moving further. "You're the new guy who killed one of the Gortch brothers."  
  
Angel didn't know what he was talking about...but then, he didn't usually take time to ask vampires or demons for their names before he killed them. "That's possible." He shrugged with a smirk.  
  
"He's the little fucker who's been helping out the slayer!" The taller vampire realized suddenly.  
  
"Slayer?" Angel muttered, puzzled, but he didn't have time to think about it since two of the vamps jumped on him. He reacted quickly and blocked the first one's punch with his right arm, making sure not to lose his grip on his stake. Angel kicked the second vampire in the face, making him stumble backwards. With one fast move, he buried his stake in the first vamp's heart. Knocking the second one out with a powerful punch in the temple, he sprang on the four remaining. The tall one and the leader started the fight, while the two others were attacking the poor victims. Seeing that those women were in danger, he grabbed the two vampires he had been fighting with by the collar of their shirt and made their head collide with the other's. Taking advantage of their dizziness, Angel pushed them away and drove his stake in the back of the fifth vamp, piercing his heart from behind. He then kicked the sixth vampire away from the girl he had been drinking from, and dusted him before he could react. Before Angel could do anything, the last two vamps had recovered and kicked him in the back, making him fall on the grass. The young hunter leapt back to his feet quickly and dodged their next attack. He was facing two powerful vamps at the same time, and the rain didn't really help him. After a few minutes of kicking and punching an both sides, Angel delivered a front kick to the leader's head who fell on his butt. But at the same moment, the other vamp caught Angel's ankle and tossed him down on his butt as well. Angel then hooked his right foot behind the vamp's ankle, pulling forward so that he would lose his balance. With one kick in the knee, Angel brought the demon down as well. Angel rebounded quickly, picked up a dead branch and dusted the vamp as he was standing up. Once Angel was back on his feet, the last vampire charged at him, hitting him in the stomach with his shoulder and dragged him against a tree nearby. The violent collision between Angel's back and head against the trunk of the tree took his breath away and he felt suddenly like he was about to faint. The vamp punched him twice in the face then took a hold on his neck and squeezed with all his strength, his nails digging into Angel's flesh and drawing blood.  
  
"Fine, if you insist, I'll fight like a girl" Angel managed to choke, always feeling the need to make a witty remark. The vamp frowned in confusion, until he realized painfully what Angel meant when he kneed him in the groin. The demon crouched backwards in pain, freeing Angel from his deadly grip on his neck. Without waiting any longer, Angel drove an other dead branch in the vamp's heart. "Don't underestimate a girl's technique." Another witty comment. He just couldn't help himself. Especially when he wasn't the one who had lost.  
  
Taking a few seconds to catch his breath, Angel looked around to check if everything was safe. He noticed that the two girls were still there, a blonde one pressing her hand on the brunette's wound on her neck. He walked towards them to see how they were, picking up his stake on the way and tucking it back in the waistband of his pants. "You doing alright ladies?"  
  
"I'm f-fine...b-b-but she's been b-bitten." The blonde stammered nervously.  
  
"Lemme see." Angel demanded as he crouched next to the girl. He inspected the wound gently, making sure she could move her arms and legs easily. "She's gonna be alright, she didn't lose too much blood. Can you stand up?" The brunette nodded weakly, and Angel helped her get back on her feet. "I guess you might need stitches. You guys have a car?"  
  
"No, but I've got a cell phone, I'll call for an ambulance."  
  
"Come on, let's get you two out of the woods." Angel suggested, still holding the brunette by the waist, and they started to walk slowly (so the wounded girl wouldn't fall) towards the street.  
  
"The ambulance will be here in 5 minutes." The blonde told Angel and her friend after she finished her phone call. "Er...I'm Clara. This is Tina." She introduced herself and her friend with a smile.  
  
"My name's Angel." Angel replied with a smile on his own.  
  
"Well Angel, thank you for saving our lives."  
  
"My pleasure." *What the hell are you doing? Quit the flirting, you're with Buffy, you dumbass!!* He was just so used to this situation. He had picked up dozens of girls that way during the past 4 years. Pretty girls he rescued from demons...it was just too easy. "Hey, did they say...anything to you before they attacked?"  
  
Clara thought about it for a second. "Well...they said something about us joining them for some kind of ritual...I didn't really get it. And what were they anyway?"  
  
Angel looked into her eyes seriously for a moment. "They're dead now, they won't come after you again. I think it'd be better if you just left it there."  
  
She thought about it for a second. "Yeah, you're right, I really don't wanna know." After a moment of silence, Clara started sneezing.  
  
Angel smiled at her knowingly. "How long have you been out under the rain?" It was still pouring heavily on top of them, the three of them were completely drenched to the bone.  
  
"Long. We were walking in the woods when the storm started and we got lost in the dark." Suddenly, Tina's legs gave way and she almost fell down, but Angel caught her in time. He carried her in his arms, advising her to keep her hand on her wound so that it would stop bleeding. "So, how old are you?"  
  
"18."  
  
"You're in college?" Clara guessed, a ounce of fascination for this guy in her voice.  
  
Angel chuckled at this one. "Nah, Junior in High School. I'm not the scholar type."  
  
"Do you go to Sunnydale High?" Angel nodded. "Oh, we're seniors there. It's weird, I didn't see you before on campus."  
  
"I arrived a little while ago. Transferred from Hemery in Los Angeles." Angel explained as they stepped onto the pavement.  
  
"Angel!" Hearing his name, the vampire hunter turned around, Tina still in his arms, and saw Jenny running towards them.  
  
"Don't tell her anything about what happened, ok?" Angel whispered quickly to Clara, who nodded, inspecting the woman who was coming over.  
  
"Miss Calendar! What are you doing here?" Clara exclaimed when Jenny reached them.  
  
"Clara Morgan, right?" Clara nodded with a polite smile. "I was just..." Jenny stopped her sentence when she noticed the girl Angel was holding. "What happened?"  
  
"Er...well...I heard a scream while you were in the house, so I went to see what was going on." Angel explained, trying to find a lie quickly. "There was a bunch of weird guys who were attacking them, I helped them out. The guys took off."  
  
Jenny frowned, wondering if he knew more than what he had just said, but decided not to push the issue for the moment. "Is she ok?"  
  
"Yeah, she's just a little weak from the loss of blood." Clara answered, looking over at her friend.  
  
"One of them did something to her, on her neck. She's bleeding, I don't know what it is. Maybe he had a knife." Angel added, trying to act as if he was really confused. Jenny looked suspiciously at Tina's neck, recognizing a vampire bite. Before she could say anything else, the ambulance arrived, and Clara waved in the air so that they would stop in front of them.  
  
"Thank you Angel." Tina murmured weakly as he put her back on her feet. He smiled at her warmly as the paramedics came over. They carried her into the ambulance.  
  
"Yeah, thanks again." Clara repeated, hugging Angel a little too tight for just a friendly hug. She just couldn't help herself. He was totally drop- dead handsome, sweet, caring, and he was amazingly well built. You could see his nipples through his soaked shirt, which hugged sexily his muscles.  
  
"Take care." He murmured with a smile as they pulled away.  
  
"See you around campus." He nodded, and Clara turned towards her teacher. "I'll see you in class." With a last thank you to Angel, she climbed into the ambulance and they drove away.  
  
"Are YOU ok?" Jenny asked finally Angel as they made their way back to Jenny's house.  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Are you hurt?" She pointed his ribs, where his shirt was torn. One of the vamps had slashed him with a branch.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"We'll check that when we get home. I, for one, can't wait to dry off."  
  
********* 


	25. Part 25

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
25.  
  
"I'm gonna change into dry clothes... I'll be back in a minute, make yourself at home." Jenny told Angel as she closed the door behind them. Angel nodded, inspecting silently his teacher's home. It had a very warm and friendly atmosphere that reflected Jenny's personality. Eventually he sat down, looking at a few pictures that were standing on the coffee table. There was a picture of Giles *Oh yeah, the old man's her boyfriend...weird choice.* He noticed various pictures of kids and grow-ups, some of them looking slightly like Miss Calendar, and Angel figured they were family. There was a few pictures hanging on a wall on the other side of the room, and he was about to stand up and go take a look at them, just when Jenny came back downstairs. Her arrival took his mind away from the pictures, and he didn't notice the picture of Jenny hugging happily an other woman in her late twenties with deep brown eyes and brown hair. He didn't notice either another picture of Jenny and this same woman, both laughing at a tall dark haired man in his late twenties too, who was standing between them with a little half smile.  
  
"My god, take off your damn clothes! You're gonna get a cold!" Jenny exclaimed as she walked toward him with a towel, seeing that he was completely drenched and didn't do a thing about it.  
  
"It's ok, I don't" He stopped there. *Damn! What can I say now? No thanks, I can't get sick?* "Right..." He then unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, then his shoes and socks, which were filled with water from the big puddles in the woods. He finally got rid of his pants that were hugging uncomfortably his legs, and kept only his boxers on. He grabbed the towel Jenny was handing him with a thanks and dried off his hair and face quickly. "Doesn't it hurt?" Jenny asked incredulously, pointing at the bleeding wound on Angel's stomach.  
  
"It's just a scratch."  
  
"You don't have to act all tough and manly around me you know. You're allowed to be in pain." She told him with a friendly smile.  
  
"Well..." He started, trying to hide his grin. She was just too strange, he felt totally comfortable around her...and damn, he was standing in his boxers, she was his computer teacher!! That meant something. "I've known worse, but I wouldn't say no to some serious patching up." And it did hurt badly.  
  
"Sit down." She instructed him and grabbed a first-aid kit in the bathroom. She sat on the couch next to him and started cleaning the wound carefully. "I was wondering...how did you make those guys run away?"  
  
"When you lived in the streets for 6 years, you're used to that kind of situation. It's not the first time I fought with rapists or robbers." He answered truthfully.  
  
"It must be tough. That kind of life style." She commented feeling sad for him.  
  
"Yeah...I couldn't have survived for so long if it hadn't been for my baby sister and my friends." He felt a pang in his heart as he said that and tried not to think about Steven. Instead, he focused on Jenny, who was putting on his now clean wound a bandage. She was pretty close to him and with her hands touching his skin, he felt warm and safe. He didn't understand this attraction he had toward her, and a part of him enjoyed it even though the other part knew it was wrong, because he wasn't allowed to have that type of feelings for her when he already had them for somebody else. He looked into her deep brown eyes and almost got lost there, but her voice pulled him out of his reverie.  
  
"Here you go. Now let's see your face." She looked briefly at the cuts he had on the corner of his lips and on his temple. She grabbed a piece of cotton and poured disinfectant on it, and was about to apply it on his face when she saw him chuckle. "What's funny?"  
  
"The situation. I'm sitting half naked on a couch with my computer teacher sitting besides me and nursing me. But...the funny part is that it doesn't feel awkward." He answered truthfully, looking once more into her eyes. They started at each other for a moment silently.  
  
"It's gonna sting a little." She warned him with a smile, and applied the piece of cotton on his brow and temple, wiping away the blood and cleaning the wound. She did the same for his lips and his neck, and as she pulled away to grab a band aid, he smiled, remembering moments like this a long time ago. As Jenny applied gently the band aid on his brow, then on the cuts on his neck, he couldn't help but make a remark with a smile.  
  
"You feel just like when my mom used to-" He stopped in mid-sentence, realizing what he had just said. That's when it hit him. He looked into her eyes with confusion and saw the familiar gentle gaze of his mother when she was taking care of him as a kid. He saw his mother's face, her hair, amazed at how similar Jenny and his mom looked like.  
  
"Your mom, huh? Well as much as I'd love having an 18 year old kid like you, I'm not sure I'm glad about the fact that I look that old" She said with a teasing grin. She was 33 and did not feel like a forty something with adult children yet.  
  
"She'd be a couple of years younger than you if she was still alive." Angel stated, still deep in thoughts. In a way, it disturbed him that this feeling of comfort he had whenever Jenny was around was because she remembered him of his own mother. They had about the same age, same color of hair and eyes...the same personality.  
  
"Oh wow. She had you very early."  
  
"I know." He mumbled as he stood up and walked a few steps, away from Jenny.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't...I...I'm not supposed to feel like this." He murmured with a sigh. "She's not here anymore, I can't. I don't have a right to feel that!" Jenny was surprised to hear a beginning of anger in his voice. "Every time I share something with you about me or...when you touch me...it feels like you're my mom."  
  
"Angel, where's the problem? It's alright to feel like that." She started as she crossed the living room.  
  
"No!" he interrupted her angrily...angry at himself. "You're NOT her! She's gone and she'll NEVER come back, and I perfectly know that but I can't replace her! It's just wrong." He shook his head violently hoping to get rid of the little voice in his mind that kept whispering HE was wrong.  
  
"Listen to me. You're NOT trying to replace her. Nobody can and nobody will ever take her place in your heart. But you're 18, you're just a kid. You lived without parents for the past 6 years, and it's not fair. You need a grown up to ask questions to, to share your problems with. Angel, there's something special about you that makes me want to help you, I can't describe it. You act like a tough guy, but it's obvious that you're hurting. Don't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens in your life."  
  
Angel cast his eyes on the floor and stayed silent for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he broke the silence. "I miss my parents so much and I can't help thinking that it was my fault if they abandoned us. But they're both dead...and I can't make it up to them." It was barely above a whisper, and he talked slowly, but Jenny listened to him intently. "I'm so afraid that I'm disappointing them, I can't help it."  
  
"That's why you feel guilty for everything." Jenny understood then how much this poor boy was hurting. How he had to bear the guilt to prove himself that his parents would be proud of him. "Angel. Look at me." She raised his chin with her fingers and saw the tears in his eyes that were threatening to fall. "If you were my son, I'd be extremely proud of you." She stated truthfully with an understanding smile.  
  
"Thanks." He murmured, a little half-smile crawling on his lips.  
  
"Oh come here big boy!" She hugged him tightly and he hugged her back gratefully.  
  
*****  
  
A few hours later, the storm had still not die out, and Jenny had asked Angel to stay until it'd be quiet enough to go out. Also, his clothes were still not dry, so she had insisted he stayed the evening. He had called Mr Schreiber, the owner of the magic shop, to tell him he'd come over on Sunday to talk about his job offer. It was completely dark outside now, and Angel was sitting in an armchair, reading one of the books he had bought at the magic shop and taking notes of what could be interesting to tell Spike, Gunn and co, while Jenny was taking a shower.  
  
Suddenly, the bell rang, which made Angel look up from his book.  
  
"Angel, could you get that?" He heard Jenny's voice from the bathroom.  
  
"Sure." He told her as he was getting up. He went to open the door. "Mr Geeves, hi!" He greeted the shocked librarian as politely as he could. Of course it would have helped if he remembered his name and wasn't in boxers.  
  
Giles stared at Angel...more at his half-naked body than at his smirking face...with his mouth slightly open and huge eyes. Seeing that Giles couldn't say a thing, Angel decided to help him out a little. "Wanna see Jenny?" No answer. "She's taking a shower...you wanna come in and wait for her?" Giles nodded silently, blinking to make sure he didn't have hallucinations, and entered his girlfriend's house. Angel closed the door behind him and went back to his book, resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him.  
  
After a minute, Giles was over the shock, and anger replaced the initial surprise. "What are you doing?"  
  
Angel shrugged innocently without looking up and wrote a few notes of the notepad sitting on his lap. "Homework."  
  
"Why here?"  
  
Eventually the younger man looked up and looked at Giles as if he had asked the dumbest question in the world. "It's raining outside."  
  
"I meant why here in Jenny's living room!" Giles clarified, his body tense.  
  
"Oh. Er...She kinda invited me to stay. 'Cause it's raining and she didn't want me to go home all wet and get sick." He answered innocently, acting as if he didn't see why Giles would get jealous and mad finding an 18 year old guy in boxers staying with his girlfriend. "Why? Is there a problem sir?"  
  
After a beat of processing what Angel had just told him, Giles took off his glasses and started cleaning the lenses with his handkerchief nervously. Jenny entered the living room at that moment, and noticed what her boyfriend was doing. She crossed the living room and stared at Angel, who tried his best to keep the smile from his face.  
  
With a sigh, Jenny turned to face Giles. "Rupert, good evening." She greeted him with a big smile and a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't believe a word he told you."  
  
"I don't think words are needed at that point." Giles replied, trying not to sound jealous but failing miserably.  
  
"You're so sexy my stuffy old British man!" Jenny exclaimed, giving him a long kiss. When they pulled away, they looked over at Angel, who was making a disgusted face. "What are you doing here?" Jenny asked Giles, ignoring Angel.  
  
"Erm...well Buffy was supposed to come at the library and erm..." He looked at Angel briefly "work, but she called to say that she didn't feel very well to...work, and that she'd be at the Bronze spending time with her friends. So I figured we could go have dinner somewhere...the two of us. Alone." He said that last part staring at Angel, who was smirking.  
  
"I'll go get dressed." He reassured them, walking away to get his clothes.  
  
*****  
  
A little while later, it had stopped raining and Giles and Jenny had dropped Angel in front of the Bronze, before going to the restaurant. He entered the club and scanned the crowd in search of his girlfriend. He spotted her and Willow in a corner of the Bronze, the one where she always met her friends, with the couch and the armchairs. As he walked towards them, smiling as he watched her in deep conversation with her best friend. He just felt like wrapping his arms around her and never ever let go. She was so damn cute, making all those gestures to explain whatever she was talking about with the red-head.  
  
"And then she was like, 'Oh Buffy, please don't be ridiculous!', which made me even more mad at her 'cause she acted like she knew everything and was totally logical, so then I told her she had never even met Angel and that if she talked to him she'd realize that that freakin' woman was wrong but she" Angel stopped Buffy's rambling as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her on the neck.  
  
"Hi baby." He murmured in her ear with that deep sexy voice that made her knees weak. "Hey Willow." He smiled at the red-head who was grinning like an idiot. She just loved seeing those two together.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing out here? I thought you didn't like this place." Buffy exclaimed, stroking Angel's arms and pressing her back against his chest.  
  
"Heard you were here tonight." He mumbled simply and started nuzzling her shoulder and neck, dropping little kisses on her skin. "So you were talking about me?"  
  
She turned around in his arms and bit her bottom lip nervously. That simple gesture was turning Angel on like hell, just seeing her soft lips and imagining them against his, on his chest, on his...*let's not go there*  
  
"Yeah...kinda." He looked into her eyes and saw that she was bothered by something. Sitting on an armchair in front of Willow, Angel dragged Buffy on his lap and held her petite form tightly against his chest.  
  
"Tell we what's wrong."  
  
His voice was smooth and comforting, which helped her relax against his strong body. Buffy looked over at Willow who gave her a do-whatever-you- want shrug. *Thanks Will, really helpful!* "It's...well it's about my mom. She...heard from some woman that you weren't...I don't know...that you weren't a good person, but I totally don't think that, don't worry! You're a great person!" Buffy quickly amended because she was afraid that what she was about to tell her would hurt his feelings. She looked into his eyes but she couldn't read anything in them. "Anyway...She knows you're Kristin's brother, and she knows I'm Kristin's friend...so she told me just before I came here that she...erm...she hoped you wouldn't be there...and she was about to say more but I just got mad at her and..."  
  
"She doesn't know we're going out, huh?"  
  
"Not likely." Buffy told him sheepishly, making Angel chuckle.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm used to it."  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
"Don't be baby. A lot of people hate me, and I honestly don't give a damn shit about them." She shook her head from left to right slowly, as if she was mad at him for talking like that, but her smile gave her way..."You're just so damn cute" Angel whispered with a half smile, and Buffy leaned over. As soon as they made contact, their lips fused together in a passionate kiss, and neither of them heard Oz, Xander and Cordelia's arrival. Xander tried to get their attention, but at that moment it was hopeless.  
  
"Ok guys, maybe you should stop, it's getting embarrassing." Willow told them from where she was sitting on Oz's lap.  
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes at the red-head. "Oh leave them alone, they're cute." At that moment, Angel discreetly slipped his hand inside Buffy's shirt and cupped one of her breasts, making her moan loudly. "I didn't say anything, it's gross, let's separate them!" Cordy rectified making a face at the noises of pleasure the slayer was making. Xander stood up with Cordelia and they grabbed Buffy by the arms, pulling her away from Angel and making her sit on the couch.  
  
"Hey!" They both protested at the interruption.  
  
"You have a choice guys! Either it's here and PG13, or home and NC-17!" Xander told them firmly and the rest of the gang nodded.  
  
"Fine, you win." Buffy mumbled, crossing her arms against her chest.  
  
Everyone remained silent for a moment, until Angel spoke up. "Ok, let's go home." He grabbed Buffy by the hand, trying to pull her towards the exit, but she just smiled at him and shook her head.  
  
"Nah, I wanna stay for a little while" Defeated, Angel sat back on his armchair. He grabbed Buffy's legs and put them on his lap, caressing her skin gently as she started to talk with her friends. Angel didn't really bother paying attention to whatever they were talking about. He wasn't feeling all that comfortable around Buffy's friends, and he suspected he never would. They couldn't understand him, his decisions, his ideas, because they ignored what it was like to fight vampires and demons on a regular basis. It saddened him a bit to have only three persons he could really talk to in Sunnydale: Buffy, Kristin and Jenny. Although he could talk about absolutely everything only with his little sister. Who, by the way, was walking through the crowd towards them at that moment.  
  
"Hey Kristin!" Buffy and her friends greeted Kristin with a smile.  
  
"Hi guys." She smiled slightly at them, then turned to face Angel, looking pissed about something.  
  
"What's up sis?" Angel asked, forgetting Buffy's legs for a moment. Frowning at his sudden lack of attention, the slayer moved a little her feet, silently asking him to resume what he had been doing.  
  
"I need to go to LA. Can we go some day? Soon?" Kristin answered, sitting with everyone.  
  
"Ok...erm...why?"  
  
"I'm horny." Kristin sighed, and Angel burst in laughter while the others just looked at Kristin strangely.  
  
"You didn't find a guy that suited you?" Angel asked her trying to hide his smile.  
  
"Let's put it that way. Remember that condom you gave me weeks ago? Well it's still in my pocket." That made Angel laugh even harder. "Stop it! You jinxed it before you gave it to me, didn't you!" She accused him only half- seriously.  
  
"No, I didn't. On the contrary, I think I took it from a box that has been very fruitful to me." He teased her, which got him a playful slap on the arm from his poor sister.  
  
"I said stop it! I wanna go to LA!!" She pleaded her brother with puppy dog eyes.  
  
"Just find a guy here, what's the diff?"  
  
Kristin looked at Angel as if he had just insulted her. "Yeah, sure, do you see me screwing some 15 year old virgin for the fun of it? Please, I need someone who knows what he's doing!"  
  
"I'm sure you can find non-virgin older experienced guys at school."  
  
"Yeah but...you know, I'd actually have to look for them and hit on them. You never had to do that to get sex from girls, why should your little sister go through all that trouble?" She smiled at him sweetly.  
  
"Hey, is it MY fault if nobody knows me in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Why would it help Kristin that people know you?" Xander asked, frowning.  
  
"Cause I'd get to have sex with lots of guys." Kristin answered innocently.  
  
"Huh? I don't get it!"  
  
Kristin rolled her eyes. "You know, I wouldn't be just SOME girl from school, I'd be the hot baby sister of the boss! They know Angel, so they know me!!"  
  
"Yeah right, as if Angel could have that much power on anyone. It's a nice fantasy, but I wouldn't get my hopes up." Xander replied with a chuckle.  
  
Just as Kristin was about to defend her brother, a group of 10 big guys entered the club. They were holding guns and weapons, drawing the attention on them.  
  
"Everybody shut up!" One of the guys shouted as another one made the music stop.  
  
"Now every one, you're gonna listen to what I have to tell you, got it?" A tall black guy exclaimed, everyone backing away as he stood in the middle of the dance floor. "You're gonna learn to recognize me and my little friends here, because we're moving in Sunnydale. From now on, I'm the boss around here. Anyone who doesn't like it...you better shut the fuck up or you'll regret it."  
  
Listening to the guy's speech about his power over people, Angel was fuming. *Who does he think he is? You little motherfucker, I'm gonna show ya who's the boss* He exchanged a look with Kristin and stood up, ready to interrupt the guy's speech.  
  
"Angel! What are you doing?" Hissed Cordelia, pulling at his sleeve.  
  
"I've got a few things to tell the guy." Angel murmured innocently.  
  
"Don't be stupid! They have weapons! Guns and everything!" Willow added quickly.  
  
"Jeez, relax, I saw that!"  
  
"Angel, stop it! You don't have to prove anything to Xander or anyone!" Buffy stood up as well, trying to make him change his mind. They all figured...except Kristin...that he was going because of the conversation they were having.  
  
"Believe me, I'm not trying to prove anything." He told her and walked away from them, in the direction of the group of guys. Buffy and the others followed too, hoping nothing would happen. Buffy might be the slayer, but against guns, she couldn't really do anything. After all, she was human. Only Kristin stayed behind, sipping at her drink and sitting comfortably on the couch.  
  
"Anyone has a question? Maybe someone wants to make a suggestion?" The black guy was still talking, quite proud of himself when he heard a complete silence. That is, until someone broke the silence.  
  
"Yeah, I've got a suggestion. How 'bout you get the fuck outta here?" Angel exclaimed, making everyone look at him as if he was out of his mind. Buffy exchanged a very worried look with Willow. What did he thing he was doing???  
  
"Who the fuck said that?" The guy shouted to the crowd, obviously seriously pissed that someone dared challenge him.  
  
"Oh...I guess that would be me." Angel answered innocently, and everyone stepped away from him, afraid he'd get shot and a bullet would also hit them or something.  
  
"Angel stop it!" The vampire hunter heard his girlfriend's scared voice, but he didn't acknowledge her presence not far behind him. He was staring deeply at the black guy in front of him.  
  
As soon as Angel was in clear view for all of the bad guys, there was a heavy silence and tension in the club.  
  
"What? You don't have anything more to say?" Angel taunted the guy with a mocking smile. "Please, I'd just love to hear all that crap about your big power once more."  
  
"Stop walking. Just one more step and you're a dead man." The guy threatened Angel, pointing his gun at Angel's chest.  
  
"One more step huh? One more step and what? You're gonna shoot me? Kill me? Well, let's see that." Slowly, Angel took a step towards the guy, and everyone gasped at his gesture. Nothing happened. Angel faked being confused. "Damn...something didn't work here...I'm still alive! Maybe with a few more steps." He resumed walking, only stopping a meter away from the guy's gun.  
  
"Jackson, man! Do something!" One of the guys yelled at his leader, who was staring at Angel.  
  
"Yeah Jackson. Do something!" Yelled Kristin with a big smile from where she was now standing in the crowd.  
  
"Shoot me. Come on, shoot." Angel murmured, but loud enough so that everyone could hear him. He grabbed the top of the gun with one hand an pressed it against his chest. "What are you waiting for? I'm at your mercy here! Just pull the DAMN trigger!"  
  
"You fucking bastard!" Jackson yelled as he stepped away from Angel, who was smiling devilishly at him.  
  
"You have to understand something my boy. I'm the boss." Angel said, matter- of-factly. "I'm the boss, and you're one big fucking loser."  
  
"Who the hell are you?" A tall blonde twenty-something guy asked Angel, pointing his gun at him.  
  
"Oh god, I'm so rude, excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. I didn't know Jacky had made new friends. I'm Angel." Hearing his name, all the guys who hadn't already met Angel looked paralyzed. "Good. I guess now you know who the boss is around here. James, come over here I wanna talk to you." Seeing that no one moved, Angel started yelling, getting more and more pissed. He had to do that every time he saw Jackson. "You know you don't wanna piss me off right now!" A second later, a little brown haired guy walked over to where Angel was standing in the middle of the club.  
  
"Man, I swear I didn't know he was gonna do that." Angel just stared deep in his eyes, his face unreadable. "I-I...we weren't going to shoot anyone, we'd never..." Still Angel kept staring in silence. "Jackson told us we'd...he...I...But we didn't mean....I'm sorry."  
  
"That's a start, but you forgot something."  
  
"I promise I'll never team up with Jackson again."  
  
Eventually, Angel seemed a little more friendly. "Where do you guys live?"  
  
"Disaffected factory, 7th avenue."  
  
"All right. I want you and the others out of Sunnydale as soon as tomorrow morning. You go to LA, talk to Gunn, explain everything. Behave yourself, if I ever hear about you making troubles again, you won't be as lucky as tonight."  
  
"Got it." James nodded. "What do you want me to-" He was interrupted by Angel who started yelling again.  
  
"I'm FAR from being done with you! You stay where you are, you little piece of shit!" He had sensed that Jackson, who had been standing behind him, had started moving, hoping to run away. When Angel felt Jackson was staying still, he nodded to James.  
  
"What do you want me to do with the weapons?"  
  
"Give them to Gunn. And tell him to call me before he makes any decision. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah. I...Thanks man."  
  
Angel gestured for him to go, and James took off quickly with the others. Then, Angel turned around to look at Jackson.  
  
"I thought I had made myself clear years ago. But you didn't stop. I thought the second and the third time I had a little chat with you, I had been clear. Obviously not. I thought Spike had made himself clear. And yet, here we are all over again. What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"What do you think?" Jackson snapped at him angrily, but he made no move to either use his gun or run away. He knew better than that. He was human, and he knew Angel wasn't.  
  
"You're jealous." Kristin stated, standing now next to her brother. "I don't know why you're jealous of Angel, and frankly I'm starting to get bored of pitying you. One day Angel won't be so nice with you."  
  
"You don't know why I'm fucking jealous of that creep? Are you stupid? He's got everything I should have! I should be the one in control of New York, not him! What does HE have that I don't?"  
  
"I don't threaten people to get them to trust me. I don't beat up the ones who don't agree with me. I try to make things right when you only cause more trouble. I am sane." Angel explained seriously, glaring at Jackson.  
  
"Yeah, you're one fucking sane guy. At least I manage to keep my friends from getting killed. Should I remind you of a few of them, say...Julie and Steven?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Angel had grabbed him by the throat and was squeezing just enough to allow him to breathe.  
  
"Give me ONE reason not to kill you with my bare hands." He growled at him.  
  
"You don't murder humans." Jackson murmured quietly. Angel then released him, stepping away from him to keep control of his emotions and not slip into his vampire face.  
  
"Leave Sunnydale. Don't you dare go to Los Angeles or New York. If I EVER see you again, I WILL kill you." A few seconds later, Jackson was on his way out of town.  
  
"Very smooth." Kristin commented as everyone more or less went back to whatever they were doing before, or started talking about what just happened. The gang joined Kristin and Angel, amazed by what Angel just did.  
  
"Yeah...god I hate this guy." Angel murmured absently.  
  
"Well Xand...I guess you were right. Angel REALLY doesn't have power over people!" Kristin exclaimed sarcastically.  
  
"H-how did you?" Willow stammered with wide eyes.  
  
"Jackson's an old acquaintance from New York. He's always making troubles and I gotta clean up his mess. We tried to get him to stay away from the city..." Angel trailed off with a sigh.  
  
"You big jerk!" Buffy groaned, hugging Angel tightly. "Couldn't you at least tell us you knew that guy? I was so worried!"  
  
"Sorry baby. I...I always forget you haven't been with me for the past 5 years. I feel like I've known you forever." He whispered in her ear, kissing her shoulder and stroking her back.  
  
"You're sweet."  
  
"How about we go back to my apartment?" He suggested, resting his hand on her butt to clarify what exactly he had in mind.  
  
"I'd love that."  
  
********* 


	26. Part 26

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
26.  
  
"God, you feel so good baby!" Angel murmured against Buffy's neck as he opened the door to his apartment. It had taken them twice as long as usual to get there because neither of them had found enough courage to pull away from the other. Angel dragged Buffy inside quickly, closing the door behind them before returning to her swollen lips. His hands rested on her hips and pressed her body against his as he walked into the apartment. Buffy had been moaning into his mouth for the past 15 minutes, and it was driving him completely out of his mind. His cock was hurting like hell and he made the decision to talk to her at one point that night about sex. He wouldn't push the issue if she told him she wasn't ready yet, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least let her know that he wanted to fuck her senseless until she passed out. Well, ok, he probably wasn't gonna say it that way, but that didn't make it any less true. Just thinking that there was even a tiny possibility she wasn't a goddamn virgin and only waited for him to make his move was killing him inside. *What does Kristin know about Buffy anyway? It's totally possible she already had sex, damn it!!* "Wrap your legs around my waist" Angel instructed her breathlessly. She did what he asked, bending her head to nibble at his bottom lip.  
  
Resting his hands on his girlfriend's butt so that she wouldn't fall, Angel walked over the couch, where they usually ended up for their usual make-out sessions in his apartment. However that night, Angel got a better idea half way towards the living room and suddenly turned around, heading towards his bedroom instead.  
  
"Where are you going?" Buffy asked, pulling away.  
  
Yeah, as if he would let her do that! He caught her bottom lip and started to suck on it, then entered her mouth with his tongue to massage hers. "Bed" He answered simply into her mouth.  
  
*Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!* Now, Buffy was getting nervous. She wasn't ready! She wanted him like crazy...she was damn sure of that, the uncomfortable ache between her legs wasn't about to let her forget it...but she knew she wasn't ready to cross that line yet. *I'm only 16! Well, 17 in a few months, but still! I'm too young! I'm still irresponsible, I'm one of many teenagers driven by hormones only! I can't have sex with my boyfriend yet!* As they reached the bed, Angel made her lay on her back on his bed, crawling on top of her without even letting her lips go. Shifting slightly to get more comfortable, one of her legs slipped between his legs, making him groan in pleasure/discomfort as she unconsciously rubbed up her leg against the big bulge in front of his pants. She hadn't noticed that before. NOW she noticed it. How could she not? *Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!* Her whole body tensed suddenly, and Angel felt it from his position on top of her.  
  
He could ask 'What's wrong?'...he could, but he wasn't gonna. Why? 'Cause he knew exactly what was wrong. After all, less than 3 minutes ago he had been debating that matter in his head. He rolled off of Buffy and laid on his back next to her, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push."  
  
She was confused for a moment, she hadn't expected him to just KNOW what she was thinking about. But apparently he did. And he was sorry. *God he's so cute when he says that...* "It's ok." She murmured softly as she rested her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist. "It's not that I don't want to...but I'm...I'm still...you know, I never did it before."  
  
"Yeah, I know." He replied, somehow sounding a little bitter. She noticed the tone in his voice and looked into his eyes and he could see that he had hurt her. *Fuck, can you BE more moronic??* "I didn't mean it that way." He looked at her with guilt in his eyes, and she melted under his gaze.  
  
"How did you know that I'm still a virgin?" She asked him as an afterthought.  
  
"Well, I didn't for sure."  
  
"oh..." She bit her bottom lip and rested her head back on his chest, deep in thought, as she listened to his heartbeat.  
  
"Buffy, I'm not gonna lie to you. I want to make love to you. Sometimes I want it so much I can't think straight. But I would never make you do something you don't really want as well. I swear to God."  
  
"Thank you." They exchanged a sweet kiss and Buffy climbed on top of Angel, straddling his stomach. When they finally pulled apart, the slayer grinned at her boyfriend. Then, under his curious gaze, she started unbuttoning his shirt.  
  
"What are you doing?" He asked with a hint of amusement and surprise in his voice.  
  
"Taking off your shirt."  
  
"Yeah, I see that" He frowned, running his hands on Buffy's thighs and hips.  
  
"Turn around." She commanded, grinning devilishly. Angel eyed her suspiciously and when she urged him to do it once more, he relented and turned around to lay on his stomach, as she lifted herself from his body so that he could actually move. He rested his head on a pillow, waiting for Buffy to do whatever she had planned. She was sitting on the small of his back, not bothering to spare him of her weight. But she was so light that he didn't even care, she could lie down on him he wouldn't mind. He could feel her gaze burning into his flesh as she looked at his body. He couldn't actually see what she was doing, he couldn't see her face, but damn he was turned on!  
  
Buffy was looking at his tattoo. After a little moment, she traced its outlines with her pointing finger thoughtfully. "Why do have that tattoo?"  
  
"You don't like it?"  
  
"Oh no, I like it, I was just wondering."  
  
"A game of Truth or dare. I picked dare."  
  
He could hear the smile in her voice. "You're kidding me!"  
  
"It was 2 years ago in New York, we were bored out of our minds and someone suggested a high level game of truth or dare. Very stupid dares and utterly embarrassing questions. Spike dared me to have a tattoo, Faith dared Kristin to get her belly button pierced." Angel explained, smiling at the memory. He also had to sleep with one of Faith's friends and to share with everyone what was the most stupid thing that ever crossed his mind during sex, among other stupid dares and questions about sex, but...he wouldn't tell that to Buffy.  
  
Buffy ran her hands up and down his back for a minute, and then she started rubbing Angel's shoulders with her talented fingers, kneading his tense muscles, caressing his smooth skin.  
  
"Holy shit!" His voice was muffled into the pillow.  
  
"Do you like that?" Buffy asked, as if it wasn't obvious. He could only moan his answer. She kept massaging his shoulder blades, and all the way up and down his spine. "You know, you kinda scared me tonight at the Bronze." She stated while she was working on his shoulders again. *Damn he's tense!* Gently, she rubbed and pinched in circular motions with both her hands on his shoulder blades until the knots gave way.  
  
"Buffy, I told you already. I knew those guys, they would never have shot me." Angel repeated for the thousandth time, his eyes closed and starting to relax under his girlfriend's touch.  
  
"No, I mean YOU scared me."  
  
He was confused. "What?"  
  
"Well...you were kinda scary."  
  
He was silent for a moment. "I-I don't know what to say Buffy."  
  
"Oh don't worry, I'm fine. I just never...saw that side of you before. You've always been so sweet and caring with me. You see what I mean?" She placed a kiss on his shoulder, showing him that there was no real problem.  
  
"Yeah." He sighed, trying to put into words what he wanted her to understand. "I lived for years in the streets, I told you that. And I DO mean in the streets. In the bad neighborhoods of New York and Los Angeles. You won't gain respect by being all nice and polite. You can be yourself when you're with people you trust completely, but when you're facing an enemy, you have no choice. Either you win or you lose. You need to have power over people and to show it."  
  
Buffy didn't say anything for a minute. She kept caressing his back soothingly. "I guess I never realized how hard your life had been."  
  
Angel turned around, staring into her eyes and she shivered from the intensity of his gaze. His right hand made its way into her hair as his left hand slipped inside her shirt. He paused when he reached the outlines of her breast, giving her time to stop him. She didn't do anything, she was completely lost in his eyes. Slowly, Angel slipped his other hand inside her shirt and unclasped her bra. She helped him remove it, without taking off her shirt, and he threw it carelessly on the floor. As she felt Angel's hands brush against her naked breasts, Buffy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She had never been so far with a boy before, but with Angel she knew she wouldn't regret it. He cupped her breasts with both hands, caressing her soft skin with his thumbs before squeezing them gently, causing her to moan. He ran his thumbs over her hardened nipples, eliciting an other small moan from Buffy. Angel continued his ministrations on her breasts for a long time, his girlfriend whimpering in pleasure from his expert touch. He couldn't see her chest, but the feeling of his hands on her soft breasts was intoxicating, and he had to fight back the urge to rip off her shirt and pants and take her as hard as possible. He looked at her face and clenched his teeth to keep himself from groaning in pain. God, his fucking cock was hurting him. He loved to pleasure her and all, but hell at that moment, he would give anything for her not to be a virgin.  
  
Eventually Angel released Buffy's breasts, his hands sliding down her sides and resting on her hips. She opened her eyes and smiled down at her boyfriend, catching her breath. Then she bent down, capturing Angel's lips in a passionate kiss. Her hands roamed all over his chest, his arms, as they kissed, until he pulled apart, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "What's wrong Angel?"  
  
"I-I...I can't...Buffy..." He opened his eyes in shock as she started to move a little on top of him, her butt resting so fucking damn close to his groin he thought he was going to grip her hips and press her into his raging erection. *No, no, no, no, no, I can't do that, I can't!* "It's getting late, I should drive you home baby." He managed to exclaimed.  
  
"But I...it's fine, I don't have to be home until 11." She protested, and then took a look at his watch. *Damn! 10:50* "Well...alright." She climbed off him and walked out of the room to get her stuff, leaving Angel in the bedroom. He slowly sat on the edge of his bed, placing his hands carefully on his crotch to somehow magically ease the extreme discomfort in his pants and wincing as he did it. *Fucking vampire senses! My fucking cock is fucking oversensitive now! Shit, it fucking hurts! God, it has never been so damn painful with any other girl!! Why is SHE so fucking hot and irresistible?? Argh! How in the world am I gonna live through another day with a hard on like that?*  
  
*****  
  
Just a few minutes before 11, Angel stopped his bike in front of Buffy's house. She climbed off her seat behind Angel, letting go of his waist reluctantly. The slayer looked at Angel silently, and the poor boy was staring helplessly at her bottom lip, which jutted out in a pout just before him. *Oh god she's so cute! Oh god I'm gonna die! God I can even feel the wind blowing on my dick! God even that is killing me! Oh shit I hate my fucking vampire side! Oh no, she's touching my arm! Fuck I gotta think about something besides her hot body...oh fuck she's got the perfect body! No, sooo not going there! Dinosaurs! Chairs! Books! Yeah, books! A good old book. The Karma Sutra's an old book. Buffy reading the Karma Sutra and...Argh!! Er...XANDER!!!! Oh yes! Xander's a good one. I can't think of Xander in a sexual way, it's Xander! Xander is Buffy's friend. Buffy's my girlfriend. My girlfriend's standing right in front of me, looking sexy and hot as hell, and I could put my fingers on... ... ...HEEEELP!!!!!*  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow." She whispered sweetly, running a finger along his neck and using her other hand to unbutton his shirt.  
  
*This is how I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die tonight, right here with my fucking rock-hard cock and they'll write on my tombstone: Angel Connelly, killed by physical frustration.*  
  
While Buffy was kissing Angel on the neck, her fingers traced a path down his chest.  
  
*STOP!! Stop now! Don't touch the belly button, don't touch the...oooooooh she touched it... ...still alive but damn, I wish I was dead!!*  
  
Unaware of Angel's near catatonic state, Buffy played for a moment with his belly button, nibbling at his ear. Eventually, as she pressed her hands against his chest and his shoulders, she noticed how tense he was. Erm...understatement of the year. "My, you're so tense! I thought I had managed to relax your body with that massage" She whispered sexily in his ear.  
  
*Sure, bring THAT back, THAT will ease my pain! That's great baby, now I can picture you straddling my waist and my hands on your breasts and those moans you were making...and it's TOTALLY helping me!...note to self: sarcasm about your hot girlfriend's body is NOT helpful in that case.*  
  
Eventually, Angel managed to find his voice. "You should go home. It's late."  
  
"Yeah. You're right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school." She pressed her lips against his, surprised when he didn't fully return the kiss the way he always did. *Jeez, what's wrong with him? God, I hope he's not angry that I wouldn't have sex with him!*  
  
"Good night." He smiled nervously at her and took off as she entered her house, wondering about his behavior.  
  
*****  
  
Angel drove home as fast as he could, trying to get his mind off of Buffy. He parked his bike quickly in front of his building and ran to his apartment. He closed the door behind him with his foot as he threw his shirt on the floor. He got rid of his shoes and socks in the hallway, fought with the fly of his pants that kept rubbing against his erection as he entered the bathroom, took off pants and boxers in one quick gesture...and at least he was in the shower, freezing water cooling off his extremely overheated body.  
  
*shit, I forgot my books and notes at Jenny's!*  
  
********* 


	27. Part 27

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
27.  
  
"But what did he do exactly?" Willow questioned her best friend the next day, as they were walking towards their lockers.  
  
"Well...basically nothing!! That's the problem! At his apartment, we were getting all...you know..." Buffy blushed under her best friend's puzzled gaze. She had told Willow about Angel wanting to make love to her and everything, and now they were trying to understand why he had acted strangely afterwards. "you know...into it."  
  
"Right. But you didn't do anything...I mean where did you let him go?"  
  
"His hands on my breasts, under my shirt. He did...stuff." She blushed even more now that she had said it.  
  
Willow's eyes widened. "He felt you up? Did you like it?"  
  
"God Willow, it felt soooo good! I was tingling all over." Buffy shared with a dreamy smile.  
  
Willow frowned, biting her bottom lip in concentration. "But after that he...stopped?"  
  
"Kinda. We kissed and then he couldn't get rid of me faster." Buffy looked sadly at her feet. "Do you think...he didn't like it or something?"  
  
"Come on Buffy, don't say stuff like that! I'm sure it's nothing." Willow told her firmly, hugging her.  
  
A minute later, they were taking their books from their lockers, when they saw Angel and his sister walking towards them.  
  
Angel looked totally pissed, and Kristin...  
  
Well, Kristin was laughing her ass off.  
  
"Will you just STOP IT?" Angel eventually yelled, glaring at her. She nodded forcefully just as they arrived in front of Buffy and Willow. Kristin's lips were tightly clenched together, and as she opened her mouth to say hello to the girls...she burst out laughing. "Kristin!" Angel almost whined like a little boy, but Kristin had troubles staying calm. Angel rolled his eyes at his sister and walked to Buffy, kissing her hello quickly on the lips.  
  
"Careful, hands off!" Kristin warned him before roaring with laughter once more, making Angel turn abruptly around to face her.  
  
"Kris! I didn't tell you that so you could make fun of me all day! It was a serious problem, damn it!"  
  
"Right. I'm sorry. I'm glad you shared your problems with me." Angel looked at his little sister suspiciously.  
  
"You're done?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm being serious devoted sister from now on." She assured her brother, while taking a deep breath. After eyeing the brown-haired girl for a few more seconds, Angel turned back to Buffy and slipped his arms around her waist. Oh...that was too much for Kristin, she couldn't hold it back any longer. "Hey Angel, the showers are over there!" She told him, biting her lips as he groaned and turned around once more to look at her. Well...he had a reason to be pissed, after all, she had been making remarks like that for the past 30 minutes. But it still was fun.  
  
"Kristin PLEASE!" Angel yelled at her, clenching his hands into fists.  
  
Kristin remained silent for a moment, nodding with a mock-polite smile...then she roared with laughter all over again. She was a lost case. When she looked back into her brother's eyes, she knew she shouldn't be hanging around for too long...so she took off, unable to stop laughing.  
  
"Isn't she just a pain in the ass..." Angel muttered with a sigh, watching her go. Shaking his head, he turned back to face Buffy and slipped his arms around her waist, kissing her deeply and slowly. As they pulled away, Angel noticed the confused frown on his girlfriend's face. "You ok baby?"  
  
"Er...I..." She looked over at Willow for help, who only smiled at her and waved goodbye. The slayer then looked back at her boyfriend, who was waiting for her answer. "Can we talk...in private?"  
  
"Erm...sure." He answered with a frown. He followed her to an empty classroom, they closed the door behind them...just in case Snyder had planned to interrupt them again...  
  
"So, what's up?" Angel asked, leaning against the teacher's desk.  
  
Buffy was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. "Er...first of all...what was that all about...with Kristin?"  
  
Angel looked embarrassed. "It was nothing. I just told her something she found funny...not a big deal."  
  
"Ok...er...I wanted to talk about last night." She raised her eyes to his, and saw that he was listening with attention. "I was wondering...what happened?"  
  
He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Last night! Come on Angel!" Buffy almost cried out. "Right after you...you know, touched...you know..."  
  
"Your breasts?" He guessed, still confused as to what she meant.  
  
"Yeah. After that, you went all cold and tense and weird, and you wouldn't say a thing and practically kicked me out of your apartment...what's up with that? I figured you would have liked touching me this way, but if it was such a pain in the ass, why didn't you tell me? It was the first time a guy ever did that to me, I figured you'd be glad to be the first one, not disgusted!" She was keeping her voice under control, but Angel could feel that she was pissed.  
  
"Buffy..." Boy he was embarrassed. How. Could. He. Possibly. Tell. Her. That???? "God baby, I'm sorry if you thought I didn't like it."  
  
"So, you liked it." She stated, crossing her arms against her chest.  
  
"Yeah, I liked it. I liked it so much it was killing me." He confessed, smiling at her guiltily.  
  
"What?" Now SHE was confused.  
  
"Baby, you felt me. You felt how hard I was, right?"  
  
"Well...yeah, but what does that" She paused, the truth hitting her suddenly. "Oh." She felt like she was as red as Willow's hair. Angel just smiled at her.  
  
"I knew you were uncomfortable around the subject, so I didn't tell you, but...you were killing me. It hurt so bad I thought I was gonna pass out."  
  
"But...was it the first time that..." She gestured at his groin, not able to pronounce the words and looking away.  
  
"No, it's pretty much every time we're intimate or close or...well, it's often. But last night...I was already rock-hard when we reached the bed, and then when I started to caress you like that..." He paused, hoping she'd understand what he meant, but apparently she was too shy to even admit she understood. "Buffy, I'll be frank. I only dated one girl who never had sex once in the past...and I was a virgin too at that time. My social life is complicated...I had troubles with girls, and I ended up just sleeping with girls I was comfortable with...just like friends. Usually when we do what we did last night, my...problem...is being taken care off. As well as theirs."  
  
"Oh that's GREAT! Makes me feel a lot better!" Buffy murmured sarcastically, looking away once more.  
  
"Sweetie, that's not what I meant." He pulled her into his embrace, stroking her hair. "You're different from most of the other girls I've been with. I...I have feelings for you. I care about you. I meant it when I told you I'd wait for you to be ready to make love to you. But my body doesn't really get that."  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't know you were in pain."  
  
He smiled at her and kissed her on the nose. "At one point of arousal, I get extremely sensitive THERE. Every time you brushed against me, or if I made a bad move it was rubbing it and it was killing me. I was so damn hot and you kept teasing me with your hands" He placed a kiss on her hands. "your body" His hands roamed all over her body, on her firm thighs, hips, stomach, breasts. "Your lips" He whispered finally on her mouth before kissing her.  
  
"What can you do about it?" She asked shyly, burying her face in his neck.  
  
"Cold shower." He chuckled, keeping her close to his body.  
  
*****  
  
"Angel!" Jenny called him after she spotted him at the end of last period, his lips locked with Buffy's in front of Angel's locker.  
  
"Hey." Angel greeted the teacher, pulling away from his girlfriend.  
  
"You forgot your books at my place." She handing him the books, which he took quickly and shoved into his locker.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Don't forget to come to class tomorrow!" She winked at him before taking off towards the library.  
  
"What was that?" Buffy asked curiously, fighting back that feeling of jealousy. *What the hell was he doing at Jenny's?*  
  
"Books I bought yesterday." He answered innocently.  
  
"You were at Jenny's?" *I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous*  
  
"Yeah." He saw that her body went suddenly stiff and she wouldn't look into his eyes. "Why?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
With a grin, he lifted her chin with his fingers so that he could meet her hazel eyes. "Are you jealous?"  
  
"No!" She abruptly disagreed, shaking her head. He remained silent, his little sexy grin never falling off his face. "Ok, ok, ok! Yeah, I'm jealous!" She exclaimed, burying her face in his shoulder so that he wouldn't see her. He couldn't help but laugh at her...she's so cute. "Stop it!!" She hit him playfully on the chest as he tried to control his laughter. He pulled her into his arms tightly, chuckling in her hair.  
  
"You're so damn cute baby." He whispered in her ear, and kissed her lobe. "I ran into her in a store and since it was raining she offered to drive me back."  
  
"And you ended up in her house...how?" She asked shyly, her voice muffled by Angel's shirt.  
  
"She had to put away stuff at home and I wasn't in a hurry. But then I helped out a couple of girls who were lost, I was soaked wet...so Jenny told me to stay there. Believe me baby, you have nothing to worry about. Jenny's...I guess she's my friend."  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
"No reason. I love when my girl's jealous." He told her with a little grin, kissing her nose.  
  
"You're so great." They smiled at each other, their lips brushing, teasing, taunting the other to make the first move, until Angel crushed his lips against hers with a groan, pressing her body against his. Her hands went behind her neck, caressing his hair there as his hands roamed all over her body. After a while, his tongue darted out, caressing her lips desperately, until she gave way and opened her mouth, her own tongue meeting his in the confines of her mouth. Angel's hands rested finally on her butt, pressing her in a needy gesture against his groin, letting her feel his erection. She was surprised at first, but after a second she realized SHE had been the one to cause that to her boyfriend, that he wanted her. She felt desired and safe...it was perfect. Except for...  
  
"Buffy!" He must be jealous of Angel.  
  
"Giles...what do you want?" Buffy asked her watcher, who was walking towards them, staying in Angel's strong arms.  
  
"I'd like to talk to you." He glared at Angel, in his stuffy British guy manner. "Alone." Definitely jealous.  
  
"What's wrong with you dude?" Angel asked incredulously. "Can't you see we're busy here?"  
  
Giles looked stricken, his jaw was so tightly clenched that you could see the blood in his vein on his neck, just above the neckline of his tweed jacket. Buffy had to bury her face in Angel's shoulder to keep herself from laughing. Her watcher and her boyfriend would NEVER get along. No matter what.  
  
*****  
  
"That is SOOOO unfair!!!" Buffy whined for the thousandth time. It was Thursday afternoon, after class, and Buffy was still at school with Angel. The first plan had been to start making the banners on Wednesday, but Buffy and Angel had been...distracted by each other at Angel's and they had forgotten to come back to school in the afternoon. So now they were in the art classroom, busy painting those banners for Parent/Teacher night, and it was starting to get to Buffy's nerves.  
  
"Calm down Baby " Angel told her, without looking up from his work, like he had done for the past 15 minutes.  
  
"But I'm sick of doing this! My hands hurt and I can't seem to do this right!" She threw her paintbrush on the table in frustration and started massaging her temples, closing her eyes.  
  
Eventually, Angel looked up and stared at his girlfriend for a moment. She obviously was exhausted and didn't have his own drawing skills. With a sigh, he walked silently to her, standing behind her. He put his fingers next to hers, rubbing her temples in soothing circular movements. "Shh, it's ok, you're doing great." He whispered in her ear as she pressed her back against his chest and let him support her weight.  
  
"Nope, you're doing everything. All I've been doing is paint stuff in yellow. I'm a one color girl." She disagreed, moaning softly from Angel's massage.  
  
"Come on, I'll help you baby." Planting a kiss on her right temple, he slipped his arms around her waist, taking a hold on Buffy's right hand with his own. She grabbed her paintbrush and let him direct her movements reluctantly.  
  
"No, Angel, I'm just sick of doing this! You won't make me do stuff I hate just by pressing your body against mine!" Buffy warned him with a smile. He acted as if he hadn't heard her as he formed the letters easily. She caressed his hand that was resting on her stomach, under her shirt. Slowly, Angel moved his hand down, making her moan from the contact of his warm hand on her skin. He reached her belly button and stayed there, playing with it as he nibbled at Buffy's right ear. After a few minutes, he released her and turned back to his work, after whispering in her ear with a smile "Now be quiet". Buffy gasped at his behavior. "You jerk!" She grabbed her paintbrush, dipped it in her yellow paint box and threw it at him, hitting him on the face.  
  
"What the fuck?!??" He shouted, not really understanding what had just happened to him at first. Then he touched his face and noticed he had yellow paint dripping from his forehead along his neck. He looked at Buffy, who was grinning playfully. "You'll pay for that!" he dipped two fingers in his blue paint box and ran towards Buffy, who started running around the small room, trying to get away from her boyfriend. However, Angel quickly managed to catch up with her, grabbing her around the waist with his left arm as he spread the blue paint on her face. Buffy squeaked and tried to get out of his grip, but he was holding her too tightly.  
  
"Lemme go!!" She shouted while laughing hard.  
  
"You'll be good?"  
  
"I will!!" Reluctantly, Angel let her go...right as she grabbed an almost empty red paint box and threw the paint in his face, making him cry out in shock.  
  
"Oh you wanna play, huh?" He murmured, wiping paint out of his face. He grabbed another color and chased after Buffy, who kept yelling playfully at him to stay away from her. While running, Angel dipped his whole hand in the green paint box, cupping the paint and quickly throwing it at her, hitting her below her chin. Buffy cried out as the cold slimy liquid slid down her neck and on her chest, inside her shirt, between her breasts and on her stomach. Angel jumped on her and they fell on the floor, both trying to put as much paint as they could on the other's body. After a few minutes, they were tired and most of the paint that was left wasn't within their reach, so they just stopped moving, laughing madly, unable to stop for a long time.  
  
"That was fun." Buffy murmured happily, smiling at her boyfriend, who was straddling her hips.  
  
"Yeah." He bent down and caught her lips in a heated kiss, his tongue entering her mouth to seek its mate.  
  
"God, Angel, you feel..." She moaned against his lips, and frowned "so gross."  
  
"I know, you too." He sighed, running his green hand in her blue/red/green hair.  
  
"What do you say we go back to your place?" She suggested, biting her bottom lip. "We don't need three banners, two will be enough."  
  
"Yeah." He agreed, wiping away paint from his lips with his sleeve, then did the same to her lips. He wouldn't let gross-tasting multi-colored paint stop him from kissing his girl. "Wait...no. I'm staying at Kristin's until Saturday. I didn't have enough money to pay some bills so...I don't have water and electricity until I get paid at the garage."  
  
"Oh...well...my mom's not home, she's coming back from work late at night. We can...go to my place. You never went there."  
  
Angel smiled at her. "That'd be great." They kissed tenderly for a few more minutes, before taking off and heading to Buffy's house.  
  
*****  
  
"Make yourself at home" Buffy murmured nervously as she and Angel entered her house. She showed him around the house, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. Eventually, they reached Buffy's bedroom. The slayer stood in the middle of the room, while Angel was looking around.  
  
"You've got a great house. I like it." Angel eventually commented, turning to face his girlfriend, who was slightly blushing.  
  
"Thanks. Erm...do you wanna take a shower?"  
  
"Go ahead, I can wait."  
  
*****  
  
About 15 minutes later, a clean, paint-free Buffy came back into her room, to find Angel laying on her bed, reading some random book, clad only in his boxers, his clothes laying on the floor at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Why did you take off your clothes?" She asked, drying her hair with a white towel, a frown on her face.  
  
"Cause I didn't want to put paint on your bed." He answered truthfully.  
  
"Oh...right" She smiled sheepishly at him, climbing on the bed as well and planting a kiss on his lips. "I put a clean towel in the bathroom for you."  
  
"Thanks baby." They kissed one more time before Angel walked out of the bedroom to take a shower.  
  
*****  
  
As he tried to scrub the paint from his face and arms, Angel let the warm water relax his body, his mind wandering around that little blonde girl, who was HIS girl. He was always amazed at how much she managed to surprise him. He had never met a girl who was as full of surprises as Buffy. Even the few girlfriends he had loved...or at least he had thought he had...they weren't as fascinating as Buffy. Julie had been the closest to Buffy, but Angel had known her his entire life...in the end, he had figured that she had been more his best friend than anything else. Sure, it was to her that he had made love for the first time in his life, but...she hadn't been like Buffy. That was the whole reason Angel started sleeping mostly with his friends. The first girl he had been with was his best friend. Sex was supposed to be with your friends. Friendship meant something. Love was a mistake he couldn't allow himself to make. But now that he was with Buffy, all of his certainties disappeared. Was it possible to love someone? Truly love her? Having her as his best friend AND his girlfriend? *I can't love her, dammit! I can't!* But she's so sweet, cute, innocent, childish, and at the same time she could be amazingly sexy, hot, dangerous...she was everything he could ever dream of. A smiled appeared slowly on his face, just thinking about her. She was his. HIS girlfriend. She wanted to be with him.  
  
Suddenly, his smile disappeared as he heard Buffy screaming. He rushed instantly out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and ran to her room. "What's wrong?" He asked her, noticing that she was alone in her room and perched on top of her bed.  
  
"Something jumped on me!" She exclaimed looking around with wide eyes.  
  
"Buffy, there's nothing in here!" Angel stated, inspecting the room.  
  
"I felt it! It was all hairy and disgusting and it was crawling on my back!"  
  
Angel closed his eyes a second, concentrating. He scanned the room with his vampire senses, trying to feel something living, beside the two of them. "A spider?" He suggested after a while.  
  
"Could be." Buffy answered, feeling very lame. Angel crouched next to her desk, and when he stood up, he was holding a big black hairy spider in his palm.  
  
"Like that?"  
  
"Eeewww!! Take that away from me!" Buffy screeched, making a disgusted face. Angel rolled his eyes and opened the window, throwing the spider out.  
  
"You're safe now." Angel told her, trying to hide his grin.  
  
"Don't make fun of me! Every girl on Earth is afraid of spiders! Especially when they're huge and they're on your body!" Buffy defended herself as she climbed down from the bed. And then...she noticed how he was dressed. Her breath caught in her throat, as she stared at his wet and almost naked body. "Oh boy" She eventually let out unconsciously. He grinned at her and walked towards her, stopping just in front of her. She was still staring only at his body.  
  
"Someone's slightly overdressed here." He whispered in her ear with a deep sexy voice that made her shiver. She looked up at his face, his eyes burning her skin by the intensity of his gaze. Her hands shaking, Buffy grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head, letting it drop at her feet. Feeling that she was uncomfortable, standing here dressed with a short skirt and her white cotton bra under his gaze, Angel pulled her into his arms, crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that made her forget her self-consciousness. Their hands roamed all over the other's bare back as Angel led them to the bed. He made her lay down and waited a moment to look at her. She was simply astonishing. He joined her quickly, climbing on top of her, supporting his weight on his left elbow as he caressed her side with his right hand. His mouth claimed hers once more, before moving his lips along her jaw line, on her neck, behind her ear. Buffy's soft little whimpers made him hard as a rock instantly, and for a moment he feared it would scare her away. After all...there was only that white wet towel hiding his nude body. Not much. But then again...she didn't hesitate too long to take off her top. There was still hope in this world!  
  
After a moment, Angel's lips made their way to Buffy's chest, along her collar bone, and down, down, until he reached her breasts. Softly, he kissed each of her breasts through her bra, and his hand traveled along her side to her thigh. He slipped his hand under her skirt, going up, caressing softly her skin. Her hands were holding his head on her breasts as she fought to breathe correctly. Then, suddenly, Buffy flipped him so that he was on his back and took off quickly her skirt, so that she was now straddling his hips, dressed in a bra and thong.  
  
*HOLY SHIT!* He just couldn't believe it. Buffy was sitting on his body, slightly rubbing herself against his erection, half naked and licking away the drops of water on his chest. *Kill me now, I've already known heaven!* He thought, shutting his eyes tightly as he caressed her whole body with trembling hands. Buffy started licking his neck, caressing his chest with her hands and playing with his nipples, making him moan. She then attacked his mouth with hers once more, crying out slightly as she felt his hands on her ass, pushing her into him. They exchanged a brief look and slipped under the covers, still kissing. Angel rolled them so that he was on top once more, and eventually managed to tear his lips away from hers.  
  
"Buffy, we gotta stop."  
  
"It feels so good." She whimpered, breathing heavily.  
  
"I know but...you're not ready for this. Not yet." He looked deeply into her hazel eyes, showing her that he was serious. She understood it, but her mind was clouded by the lust she could see in his brown orbs.  
  
"We'll stop, but not yet. I want you to kiss me, Angel. Please." She pleaded him, her hands on his sides, keeping him against her body. He let his forehead rest against hers and inhaled deeply. She felt so good, her scent was intoxicating. He pressed his lips against hers, and she eagerly took the offer, sucking on his bottom lip as he cupped her breasts through her bra. They rolled over a few times, and after long minutes of kissing, moaning, groaning, groping, the sheets tangled around their sweaty bodies.  
  
Until they heard something and both froze. That wasn't expected. It was bad. VERY bad.  
  
"Buffy, sweetie! I'm home!"  
  
********* 


	28. Part 28

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
28.  
  
"Buffy? Are you in your room?" Joyce Summers asked from the living room as she took her coat off.  
  
Erm...yes, she was. She was in her room, in her underwear, under the covers of her bed, her tongue being sucked on by her older boyfriend, who was wearing...well, he had a towel hanging VERY loosely around his waist. Oh, and he had his hands and her ass. Maybe that wasn't implied when Joyce asked if her 16 year old daughter was in her room.  
  
"Fuck!" Buffy swore under her breath as she finally got her voice back. She looked at the 2 of them, and if her mom walked in...they'd be in a VERY compromising position. "FUCK!!" Buffy kept swearing as she jumped off the bed and ran to the door of her room, grabbing the key and locking the door........except that there wasn't any key. So there they were, half naked, in an unlocked room with her mom about to walk in. "FUCK!! Angel you gotta go! She'll kill me if she sees you! She'll kill you even more!" Buffy told quickly her boyfriend, who was climbing off the bed, clutching the towel around his waist.  
  
"Buffy? Hello?" Joyce called again, hearing no answer.  
  
In the meantime, Buffy and Angel were looking around the bedroom to find Angel's clothes. "My boxers! They're still in the bathroom!" Angel realized suddenly, his eyes wide. He wasn't panicking, but since his girlfriend was...he was close.  
  
"Stay here, I'll get them!" As Buffy was about to go out of the room, Angel grabbed her by the arm and looked at her body pointedly. She looked herself and realized she was still only wearing a thong and bra.  
  
"Buffy!" Joyce's worried voice came from the stairs. Jumping in surprise, Buffy grabbed a long t-shirt she uses to sleep and pulled it over her head frantically. She finally made it out of the room, ending up in front of her mother. "There you are! What were you doing?"  
  
"I was...t-taking a nap. I didn't hear you." Buffy stuttered lamely. Joyce seemed to buy it anyway, smiling at her daughter and patting her head softly.  
  
"I'm sorry I woke you up. I'll just go take a shower and stop making noise so you can rest sweetheart." Buffy's mom told the slayer warmly, heading towards the bathroom.  
  
"WAIT!!" Buffy cried out, running to the bathroom before her mother. "I need to...got there first!" She rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, leaving a confused Joyce in the hallway. Buffy quickly spotted Angel's boxers and thought about what she was supposed to do for a second. If she kept them in her hand, her mom would ask questions. Right...so she put them on, her t-shirt almost hiding them completely. Sighing happily at the feel of Angel's underwear on her body, she opened the door carefully and ran to her bedroom, seeing that her mom had gone downstairs.  
  
"You didn't find them?" Angel asked, confused.  
  
"I did!" Buffy whispered back with a smile, taking off both the boxers and her t-shirt, receiving a lustful look from her boyfriend as she handed him his underwear. He put them on quickly then got rid of the towel, then put on his pants. He then raised his head and noticed Buffy's dreamy smile as she stared at his still wet naked torso. He went over her and pulled her in his arms, kissing her hair as she snuggled deeper. "You're not ready for that yet babe." He whispered in her ear, knowing she'd get what he meant.  
  
"I know, but I couldn't help feeling..." She frowned as she searched for the right word.  
  
"Sexually frustrated?" He tried to help with a smirk.  
  
"desired and safe." She corrected, hitting him softly on the chest and making him chuckle.  
  
"Girl talk for hot and turned on." He gave her a knowing smile while putting on his shoes. Before she could reply, they heard Joyce's footsteps in the hallway. "I should go" Angel stated as Buffy was buttoning his shirt.  
  
"Yeah. Try to be discreet when you get outside, ok? So that my mom won't see you climbing off the roof." She asked him, kissing him quickly on the lips.  
  
"Right. I'm leaving. I'm gone." He muttered as he stepped backwards, towards the window, his lips fusing with Buffy's.  
  
"See you tomorrow sweetie." The slayer whispered a sad note in her voice, watching Angel climb out of the window soundlessly.  
  
Angel grabbed her gently by the waist, pulling her to him one last time. "You're beautiful." He told her truthfully when he tore his lips from her, making a bright smile appear on her face.  
  
"You mean it?" She asked, biting her lips with a faint blush on her cheeks as she gazed down at her own half naked body.  
  
"Yeah, you're the most perfect woman around, sweetheart." He bit gently on her right nipple through her bra as he caressed softly her butt.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I'm only stating the truth. Night." They kissed one more time and Angel finally left, climbing on the tree next to the roof with no problem and jumping on the grass smoothly. He blew his girlfriend one last kiss before heading over to Kristin's.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, as they walked to the school cafeteria to meet the others, Angel and Kristin were talking about what was supposed to be happening on Saturday. "I'd say it's a good thing the guys are coming over tomorrow." Kristin stated with a sigh.  
  
"Yeah, it's nice to know I still have back-up." Angel muttered grimly.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"It's hard...to do it by myself. Patrolling...every night...alone. I miss how easy it was before." Angel admitted, looking down at his sister in shame.  
  
"Angel, I told you I could patrol alone. You can take a few nights off if you want."  
  
Angel smiled at Kristin, slipping his arm around her waist friendlily. "You're the best sister ever, so I don't wanna get you killed. There is absolutely no way you're patrolling without me."  
  
"But I could." Kristin exclaimed confidently.  
  
"I know you could. But no."  
  
Kristin rolled her big brown eyes at her brother. "You're just saying no because I'm a girly female."  
  
"That's right." He replied half-truthfully, showing her a teasing smile.  
  
"Because only manly males are able to fight vampires and forces of darkness."  
  
"I'm glad you finally figured out how life works. Guys go save the world while chicks think of a new way to pleasure them in bed." Kristin gaped at him in disbelief as he showed a serious face. After a beat, his lips turned into a mocking grin.  
  
"You JERK!!!" He exclaimed, hitting him on the chest. "You disgusting stubborn macho!"  
  
"Come on Sis, you know I'm right. We've been made that way. Girls aren't strong enough to do a guy's job." He grinned devilishly at her as they entered the cafeteria.  
  
"Well, it's easy for YOU to say. But you know what? You wouldn't be so sure about your superiority if a girl had your powers."  
  
"Even if such a girl existed...I'd be able to take her. Without breaking a sweat." Angel stated as they joined Buffy and her friends at their table.  
  
"Would you care to make it a bet?"  
  
"A bet it is." He bent over to kiss Buffy on the nose. "Hey baby."  
  
"Hi." She smiled at him, raising her eyebrows in confusion about what he was talking about with his sister.  
  
Turning back his attention to his sister, with his girlfriend seated comfortably on his lap, Angel smirked. "What do you say Krissy?"  
  
"I'll find someone as strong as you. If you win, then..."  
  
"100 bucks."  
  
Kristin smiled sweetly at him. "Ok, and if I win...you hook me up with one of your team mates."  
  
"Deal." They shook hands firmly, sealing their bet.  
  
"What was that all about?" Willow asked Kristin and Angel.  
  
"Brother-sister stuff." They answered in unison, winking at each other.  
  
*****  
  
"Do you really expect people to eat this?" Angel pointed at the food on the library table for the parent/teacher night, which was starting in 2 hours. Giles had agreed with the gang...minus Angel, that their number one priority right now was for Buffy not to get kicked out of school. Which meant the scoobies were in the library, helping out Buffy and Angel, instead of doing more research about Saint Vigious night. They had planned to meet later that night to discuss the matter fully. As Angel and Cordelia, who had also drawing skills, were finishing the banners and posters that Snyder wanted to hang around the classes and the hall, Buffy, Willow and Xander were taking care of the food. Oz had practice with the Dingoes ate my baby, so he'd only be joining them for the scooby meeting with Giles.  
  
"What? It's healthy!" Willow protested. She looked expectantly at Buffy and Cordelia, who nodded with a smile. Angel and Xander shared a look, both making a disgusted face.  
  
"Alright misters. What would you two suggest? Any better smart idea?" The slayer interrogated her boyfriend and her best friend. Once again, Angel and Xander share a knowing smile.  
  
"Chips and beer." They answered in unison, making Cordy and Buffy respectively slap Angel and Xander on the arm disapprovingly.  
  
"Parents like...classy food. Healthy stuff, not disgusting greasy food guys eat in front of a ball game." Cordelia stated as she finished her part of the banner.  
  
"Usually I wouldn't care, but my mom is gonna be there, and since I used the "parent-teacher night organization" excuse all week, it has to be nice. Buffy added, grabbing a knife to cut little pieces of cucumber.  
  
Hearing that, Angel's head shot up in alarm. "What? Your mom's gonna be there? Tonight?" Buffy nodded with a sheepish smile. "That means hands off all night, right?"  
  
"She doesn't know about you guys?" Cordelia asked them out of curiosity.  
  
"Nah...I couldn't tell her." Buffy answered, chewing on her bottom lip.  
  
"Mostly because she hates me." Angel added, smirking at his girlfriend.  
  
"Should we expect NOT to see you exchanging saliva all night, then?" Xander asked, only half-joking.  
  
"Only when her mom's around." Angel winked at Buffy, who blew him a kiss with a big smile in return.  
  
*****  
  
"It's sad to say but...I'm quite satisfied with your work." Snyder stated coldly, after Angel had finished hanging around the banners under Buffy's supervision.  
  
"Why, sir, isn't that a compliment?" Angel raised an eyebrow, holding Buffy by the waist.  
  
"Don't push me Connelly." Was the principal's final words as he took off to talk with the teachers.  
  
"How are we gonna do this?" Angel asked after a moment. Buffy looked up at him, frowning. "With your mom." He clarified with a sigh.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll introduce you...just not as my boyfriend...Hopefully she'll talk to you and see how amazingly wonderful you are." Their lips met in a sweet lingering kiss, as the parents started to arrive. "You should go check on the others and spend some time with them...then you come back and meet my dear mother."  
  
"Can't wait." He muttered sarcastically before kissing her softly on the lips and taking off towards the library.  
  
As he entered the library, he noticed that Willow, Xander and Cordelia weren't there. He was about to turn away and go look for them, but Giles' voice coming from his office interrupted him.  
  
"Listen to me, I don't care that you might end up dead! I want, I need this information!" He growled angrily at whoever he was talking to on the phone. Hearing the D word, Angel switched to hunting mode and walked soundlessly towards the office, standing his back against the wall next to the door so that Giles couldn't see him, but Angel could hear what the watcher was saying. "We need to be ready soon. If I don't have that spell by the end of the night, I'll ask you-know-who to come and get you, and I don't care that you're human Willy!"  
  
*I knew it. That old bastard is into something.* Angel thought, concentrating to feel Giles' emotions. His heartbeat was steady but quick...he seemed nervous about something.  
  
"Fine. I'll call you again later." Giles swore under his breath as the phone conversation ended. Sensing that he was about to come out of his office, Angel quickly slipped out of the library, leaving Giles staring suspiciously at the moving doors of the library... Someone had been spying on him.  
  
Angel was starting to worry. He could feel that something was going on at the moment, something bad, but he didn't know what it was. He walked around the school corridors, just to make sure everything was safe. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Angel was getting pissed at himself. He KNEW something was up, that he should be doing something...his vampire senses were screaming at him to act, but he didn't find anything. Frustrated, Angel decided to walk outside around the campus, hoping he'd end up face to face with some vampire...at least he'd know what the hell he'd be supposed to do.  
  
*****  
  
An hour later, Angel was even more pissed off. *Damn it, this is getting me nowhere! I gotta hit the cemeteries.* He walked quickly back to school, hoping to find Buffy, tell her he had to go and finally get some action. However, as he reached the hall, he couldn't find her there. His anger changed into worry. He hated not being in control of the situation, and tonight he couldn't figure out what the hell he was supposed to do. He spotted Willow, who was talking to some woman, and jogged towards her. "Where's Buffy?" He asked bluntly, surprising both Willow and the older woman.  
  
"Er...I..." Willow's eyes rested on Joyce, then on Angel, then on Joyce again before focusing on her best friend's boyfriend. "She's with Giles."  
  
Angel clenched his fists in anger, feeling like ripping the librarian's head off. "What the FUCK is she doing with him?"  
  
Willow was taken aback by Angel's bad temper. He had always been calm and never really showed any emotion, but at the moment, he looked really dangerous. However, before she could answer, Joyce turned to Angel, her arms crossed in front of her chest.  
  
"I think you should watch your tongue young man." She exclaimed coldly. She had recognized that boy, and the idea of him wanting to talk to her daughter wasn't acceptable.  
  
"Did I fucking ask you something?" Angel spat at her before focusing once more on Willow. "Where are they?"  
  
"I don't know, Xander was with her and Giles. I think they were looking for Jenny, but...What's wrong?"  
  
"Xander is with them. You sure?"  
  
"Yeah." Willow answered, confused.  
  
*Alright...she's gonna be fine. Geeves won't do anything with people around.* "Tell Buffy I had to go, ok?"  
  
"And why in the world would she be interested in your departure?" Joyce demanded, stepping in front of the tall young man.  
  
"Who the hell" Before he could finish, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket quickly. "What?"  
  
"Angel dude, you've got troubles." Angel automatically recognized Spike's British accent.  
  
"I know, I can feel it but I can't seem to see what's fucking wrong."  
  
"We know a little more about that Vigious night thing. Dru had a vision. The ritual starts tomorrow, but if they want it to be bloody huge, they gotta have some kind of bloody massacre the night before."  
  
"Tonight." Angel muttered with a sigh.  
  
"Where the bloody hell d'you think they're gonna hit in Sunny-D?"  
  
"Bronze is closed tonight...so I guess their next choice to find people would be...Holy shit!" At that moment, he sensed it. He sensed them. Vampires. A LOT of vampires. And they were getting very close. "I gotta go Spike"  
  
"Good luck Peaches."  
  
"Don't call me that" Angel growled and put his phone back in his pocket, right as a loud crash and screams could be heard.  
  
********* 


	29. Part 29

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
29.  
  
Angel more or less noticed that Willow was urging everyone in the hall to follow her, away from here, as he ran towards where the vampires had entered. *Shit* A group of about 6 or 7 vamps saw him and growled, wicked smiles on their demonic faces. The demon hunter quickly scanned the room. Several groups of vampires, spreading all over the school. Apparently, no human had stayed there. He had to smile a little at the obvious lack of plan those demons had. If they had been a little more organized, they wouldn't have missed the humans who had instinctively ran to another entrance of the school and hopefully had ran home. *Stupid demon...tsk tsk tsk, we never get to work with pros these days...* As much as he had a low opinion of those vampires...he decided to run away himself. Just for the moment. He could take 10 vampires, but he ran, choosing his priorities. He had to help everyone who was still at school before he went and kill the vamps...he did not run because he doubted he could take down 10 vampires...and their 10 other buddies. No, he was a warrior for the Powers That Be, remember?  
  
"Angel!" The said warrior turned around as he heard a familiar voice shout his name.  
  
"Xander, come on, we can't stick around here too long" Angel murmured as he pulled the dark haired boy by the arm and urged him to follow him.  
  
"We need to find Buffy, Will and Cordy." Xander added, running alongside with Angel.  
  
"Gotta agree with you on that one" Angel muttered, thinking of the danger his girlfriend might be in at the moment.  
  
*****  
  
"Buffy!" Willow and Cordelia exclaimed, running towards the slayer.  
  
"Will, is everyone ok?" Buffy asked worriedly, checking the persons that were with her two friends. There was...oh joy, her mom...and 8 other people she didn't know but figured were parents or something.  
  
"We don't know" Cordelia answered, her hands shaking at the thought of her defenseless boyfriend being attacked by vampires.  
  
"A lot of the parents and teachers managed to get out but I'm pretty sure Xander, Giles, Jenny and also Snyder are still here." Willow added.  
  
The slayer's face paled considerably and she looked straight in her best friend's eyes. "What about Angel?" Cordelia just shook her head, clueless, but Willow hesitated to answer. "Will?"  
  
"H-He...We were talking...and then the v" she glanced at Joyce, who was talking with the other parents about that 'gang of masked people', then turned back to Buffy and whispered. "then the vampires crashed in. I told everyone to follow me and we met Cordelia half way towards the library...but I think Angel went the other way."  
  
"You mean he went to see the vamps?" Buffy took a deep breath at Willow's nod. "I gotta find him. He doesn't know what he's against...he's gonna get himself killed."  
  
"I agree with that and all...but I think you should run just a tiny bit more." Cordelia stated suddenly, pointing at the vamps that were walking towards them in the corridor. The three girls urged everyone to run once more. As the minutes flew by, Buffy was thinking of a plan. She couldn't go kill those vamps with those humans AND her mom, she needed them to stay somewhere as safe as possible. Now the vamps were surely guarding every exit. She had to get them to a classroom without the vamps noticing, and lock them inside. Also, she had to warn Giles...she needed Willow and Cordy's help.  
  
"Guys" She told the girls, making everyone stop at a corner. "You need to find Giles and Jenny, see with them what's going on. They should be at the library."  
  
"Ok, we can do that." Willow spoke up and shared a nod with Cordelia.  
  
"Here" Buffy handed them two stakes. "Don't play heroes, run...it's just in case. I'll find a way to hide everyone and we'll meet at the library, ok?" The redhead and brunette nodded, and the next second they were gone, holding hands to reassure each other.  
  
"Buffy, do you KNOW who are those people?" Joyce had been talking to her daughter for a while, but only now did Buffy hear her. She had been praying for Angel and Xander to be ok and at the same time imagining her kick-the- freaking-vampires plan.  
  
"They're dangerous. Come on, we need to hide."  
  
*****  
  
"To the library, man"  
  
"Why the library?" Angel raised an eyebrow at Xander.  
  
"That's where we'll have a chance to meet the others." The younger man explained, not knowing if he could say the truth to Angel. He didn't know if Buffy trusted him enough  
  
"I need to get to my locker first." Tonight he had felt pretty confident with himself, so he hadn't bothered taking any weapon to go see if something was going on outside. Now he really needed to get a stake. Preferably his favorite one.  
  
"We don't have time!" Xander shook his head firmly. "We need to see Giles ASAP!"  
  
"I don't give a fuck about Giles!" Angel almost growled, clenching his fists to keep his vampire face at bay. "We're going to"  
  
"BEHIND YOU!!" Xander shouted, his eyes widening as he realized a bunch of vampires just showed up. Angel turned around, only to be rewarded by a powerful punch in the jaw, sending him crash on top of Xander.  
  
"Fuck!" Angel went back to his feet instantly, pulling Xander up with him, and turned around to glare at the vamps, who were smirking. "What the FUCK do you want?" He asked them, ignoring Xander who was pulling at his arm.  
  
"Don't worry little boy, it'll be over quick. We're too hungry to take our time." A vamp answered, slipping into game face.  
  
"Well, that's good, cos I don't have time myself. I"  
  
"Angel, shut UP and RUN to the library!!!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Angel turned around to face Xander. "Gimme a break with your fucking library! I told you I'm going to" He stopped as he felt the vamp tap lightly on his shoulder to get his attention, making his demon friends chuckle. "What now?" He murmured, shaking his head and then he turned around, grabbed the vamp's head before he could do anything and slammed it against the wall, spilling blood. "I was talking." Angel added as his fist connected with the vampire's jaw. Xander could have sworn he heard something break. Taking advantage of the vampires' surprise, Angel threw their friend in their direction, making them fall on the floor before taking off quickly with Xander. Sensing that there were vampires in the direction of his locker, Angel decided to drop Xander at his goddamn library first, if as he said, it was safe, then get a stake and go back.  
  
As they entered the school library, they noticed that Cordy and Willow were there, and also Jenny and Giles. But no Buffy. "Where's Buffy?" Angel asked Giles, glaring at him, ready to punch him to death if he had any link with tonight's little event.  
  
It was Willow who answered. "She said she'd come here soon"  
  
After a beat of wondering why those guys didn't seem too scared at the idea of Buffy alone with murderous guys around, Angel noticed a heavy bookcase next to the doors. "Put that in front of the doors and don't let anyone in." He instructed them as he went back to the doors.  
  
"What? Where are you going?" Cordelia asked with a worried frown.  
  
"I need to find Buffy" Thinking it was more credible than: "I'm gonna get a piece of wood from my locker." And also, he WAS going to find Buffy.  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Giles exclaimed sharply, but Angel didn't flinch.  
  
"Care to tell me why?" Angel challenged.  
  
"You're gonna get yourself killed. Buffy'll be just FINE without YOU. You stay here, I repeat, you are NOT leaving this room."  
  
Angel stared at the librarian for a moment, before opening the doors. "Watch me." Without leaving anyone time to stop him, he was out.  
  
He knocked down 4 vampires that had been standing in his way, reminding himself to come back later to actually kill them. He reached with no trouble his locker, quickly took out a dagger that he tied up to his calve under his pants, then grabbed a gun -with wooden bullets, which took him and his friends months to create- tucking it in the waistband of his pants on his back, then grabbed his favorite stake before closing the door. He concentrated a little, and suddenly, he could feel a group of humans nearby. They were walking...and there were vampires not far behind them. Buffy was there.  
  
Angel rushed towards them, staking three vamps on his way.  
  
*****  
  
"AAH!!" Buffy jumped out of her skin as she collided with a strong body and lost balance. Only to be caught before she fell. Startled, she looked up and stared into Angel's deep brown eyes and sighed in relief. "Angel!" She flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.  
  
"God Buffy, I was so worried."  
  
"Me too." Suddenly, several low dangerous growls were heard, and both Angel and Buffy looked up in alarm. "Come on!" Taking his hand, Buffy led him and the bewildered panicked adults who were just glad someone seemed to know what to do, into a lab class.  
  
Buffy and Angel worked together to block the door, pushing a bookcase and several chairs in front of it. "We're safe. It's ok." Buffy breathed out as she noticed that the vamps, for some odd reason, had not followed.  
  
"What were those persons?" Someone finally asked, his eyes wide with fear.  
  
"Buffy, do you know something?" Joyce asked her daughter, confusion all over her face.  
  
"No...I don't know." Buffy lied, keeping a straight face which embarrassed Angel. She'd need explanations...  
  
"I need to go to the library." He eventually stated, looking into his girlfriend's hazel eyes.  
  
"What?" Her eyes widened "No way!" She shook her head firmly, clasping his hand in hers.  
  
"I have to Buffy, I..." He thought quick of an excuse to go "need to call Kristin. She said she'd come by later."  
  
"You're gonna get yourself killed." Buffy stated, her bottom lip trembling. She'd rather convince him not to leave the room, but if he really wanted, she'd just have to tie him up somewhere. Although...he wouldn't be able to get away if the vamps broke in. DAMN!!  
  
"I'm not. Buffy, I know you're scared...but I'm not helpless." He murmured softly, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.  
  
"They're too dangerous. You don't know...You can't..."  
  
"Buffy, I'm going, whether you like it or not. And I'd rather it was if you like it."  
  
Buffy nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. She knew tonight...the truth would be out. "I'm going with you. We can go to the library by the ventilation duct system." She pointed to the roof and stared deeply in Angel's eyes until his resolve crumbled and he let her go with him. Eventually he nodded with a sigh, and she smiled at him.  
  
That's when Buffy's mom spoke out. "Buffy Anne Summers I demand an explication."  
  
"Mom" Buffy made a face inwardly. "Can we talk about it later?"  
  
"You TOLD me you weren't seeing him!" She shouted, glaring angrily at her daughter.  
  
"Will you shut the fuck up?" Angel almost growled at Joyce.  
  
"How DARE you talk to me like that?"  
  
"If you don't shut your big mouth I'll personally choke you until you pass out." Before she could say anything, he turned to the other petrified parents. "You better not make a noise while we're gone. If they hear you, they won't have much trouble breaking through those doors."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about kid. We're not in a movie here! You're not a super-hero fighting against evil. You have no right to tell us what to do" A small fat man replied, standing next to Joyce, who was glaring so furiously at Angel her eyes were black.  
  
"Fine. Go ahead, do whatever you want, I don't give a damn shit if you get killed. But if someone is sane enough around here...my advice is to knock out Mr Big Mouth here." Angel then turned around and raised his eyebrows, seeing his girlfriend standing on a table, ready to climb through the hole in the ceiling. He didn't know she'd be able to access the air duct system by herself...but he didn't have time to focus here. She looked at him expectantly, knowing she'd have to deal with her mom later. But right now, she had to get to the library. Angel climbed on the table as well and looked into her eyes for a minute. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "You stay close to me, ok?"  
  
"You too." She replied seriously. They shared a sweet kiss, and Angel dropped two more kisses on her cheek. He then lifted her easily by the waist to help her climb up and followed shortly after.  
  
They crawled along the man-sized air duct, Angel keeping close behind Buffy. Suddenly, Buffy stopped and Angel's head almost hit her ass but he stopped just in time. Not that he minded having that kind of contact with her, but still...now wasn't the moment. "What?" He whispered at her, raising an eyebrow as he noticed she was staring at something in the hallway, through a ventilation grate. She was just on top of the hallway, and Angel couldn't see anything.  
  
*They have a leader. Definitely a master vampire...so that's no random attack. It gotta be linked with St Thingy night...* Buffy thought while observing the vampire giving instructions to its minions.  
  
After a beat, the vampire growled deep in his chest, recognizing the scent of who he was looking for. His eyes wandered around and he raised his head, his gaze locking with Buffy's. He smirked evilly as Buffy's eyes widened in horror. Reacting instinctively, she urged Angel to move faster, hoping the vamp didn't follow them. The young vampire hunter followed her, not asking anything but making a mental note to interrogate her when they reached the library.  
  
A couple minutes later, they were crouching on top of the ventilation duct access of the library's ceiling. They put the grate aside, both silently relaxed by the fact that they didn't feel any vampire presence around.  
  
"Angel!" Cordelia exclaimed as the whole group jumped in surprise seeing their brooding friend landing on the library table.  
  
"Hi guys." He murmured absently, helping Buffy climb down the air duct...although she didn't need his help.  
  
"Buffy, thank god you're here!" Willow murmured, sighing in relief. With a kiss on her forehead, Angel let Buffy go from his arms and the slayer went to hug the red-head.  
  
********* 


	30. Part 30

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
30.  
  
After calling Kristin and telling her to do some research and try to contact their friends, Angel had been watching silently for the past minute his girlfriend's discussion with her friend. She was setting up a plan to get her mom and the other persons out of the school...why? Shouldn't she be running around screaming in panic? Well...maybe not, but still, she didn't seem too scared. Which made him wonder. Maybe...maybe she knew. Maybe she knew that her good friend Jeeves was picking up stakes in the dead body of demons, she knew that those creeps wandering in school were bloodsucking demons...but if she knew...why was she alive? He knew from experience that when you get too close to the scene of action, you either get sucked in this world and never find the way out...or you get yourself killed.  
  
"Buffy..." Willow murmured, getting her friend's attention. "Maybe you should...say something..." She mouthed, nodding towards Angel's confused expression. He was staring at the floor, obviously deep in thoughts, a sexy frown on his face...or so Buffy thought.  
  
With a sigh, Buffy turned to Angel and opened her mouth to say something, only to shut it suddenly as a vampire entered the library.  
  
"Good evening everyone." The vamp stated with a smirk, his human face on.  
  
"What the fuck?" Angel murmured absently, eyeing the demon, who was standing not far from everyone.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" The slayer demanded firmly with a glare at the vamp, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"I think you know who I am. Who we are." The vamp answered, his face slowly morphing into its demonic features.  
  
"Holy SHIT!" Angel gaped, backing away suddenly. The scooby gang looked at each other...now the truth was out.  
  
"Get out of this school. Get out of town. Or you'll regret it." Buffy threatened the vampire.  
  
"I think my boss has some issues to deal with before we can leave this place."  
  
"Why did he send YOU then? To afraid to do it himself?" Xander exclaimed, catching the vamp's attention as Buffy was picking up a crossbow from the bag on the table.  
  
"I'm just the messenger. The boss kills little angels, I kill humans." He replied, his gaze on Angel...who got the hint.  
  
"Hey, message boy. This way." Buffy warned him, and by the time he turned his head, an arrow had pierced his heart, and he dissolved into dust with a gasp. There was a moment of silence, each member of the scoobies staring at Angel, who was staring at the pile of dust, his mouth open in shock. "We need to go kill the others. We'll...deal later." Buffy instructed her friends, feeling a pang at her heart thinking that maybe Angel wouldn't be able to deal.  
  
As Buffy was picking up several weapons...stakes, daggers, crossbows, and handing them to her friends, Angel wasn't even looking up at them. *I killed him. I killed him. There's no way he could survive...I saw his ashes...he's not alive...he can't be...* When he finally looked up, the library was empty, safe from Xander who was looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Don't worry man, I'll sum it up for ya"  
  
"Where..."  
  
"They left the library. They had to go first so that we wouldn't get into any troubles. We're supposed to find other people who might have been on their own." Xander informed Angel as they walked out of the library.  
  
"Lemme get this straight...you guys are used to those situations?" *I was right, she knew. She knew and I didn't tell anything. I lied for weeks for NOTHING! Fucking shit, Kristin's gonna laugh her ass out.*  
  
"You'll find out Sunnydale is a pretty weird town. I can't give you the specifics, 'cos Buffy should do it...I'll just tell you something: Don't act like a jerk with Buffy when we're done tonight. I know it's a big deal...finding out the truth like that...but if you truly care for Buffy, you won't let her down." Xander stated seriously, and Angel could see how protective of Buffy the boy was. But right now, nothing mattered except kicking vampire ass. This time, he didn't have to keep from fighting in front of the gang. And boy was he fucking mad at the moment. He always hated having to kill a vampire twice.  
  
"I won't let anyone hurt Buffy." Angel admitted, staring deep in Xander's eyes to show him how serious he was.  
  
"Good. Now, don't panic if you ever come to face a vampire. You don't need much to know. From what I saw of your first encounter with the vamps, you can fight, which is good, but against supernatural strength...there's not much you can do. To kill them, you'll wanna use a stake. You need to hit the heart, like Buffy did, and the vamp turns to dust. You can also"  
  
"Xander." Angel interrupted him, looking down at the boy in disbelief. "You know that I lived in Manhattan and in LA, right?"  
  
"yeah..."  
  
"Buff told you I had been living around the streets, right?"  
  
"yeah...what's your point?"  
  
"You really think that in 6 years living in the streets at night, I never met a single vampire or demon?"  
  
Xander's eyes widened. "You mean you"  
  
"already knew? Yeah." The vampire hunter chuckled a little at Xander's face. "Look, people don't react the same way in front of demons. Most of them live in denial, they come face to face with a vamp and forget it the day after. Some just don't care, and an extreme minority...try not to get killed." He sighed.  
  
"I guess you and me aren't that different after all, huh?" Angel smiled at Xander's remark.  
  
"Whatever man, let's just find people to rescue."  
  
"So, have you ever killed a vampire?" Xander asked after a beat. Angel smirked, and just as Xander was about to speak, a couple of vampires appeared in front of them. They were young vamps, completely inexperienced, and Angel realized that Morfran didn't manage to convince master vampires to join him. Well, after a hundreds year old master vampire is defeated by a 16 year old...it's frequent no one wants to team up with him. The poor bastard had to actually make his minions...The vamps ran to them, growling. Angel instantly grabbed his stake from the waistband of his pants and drove the stake in the first vamp's heart, kicking the second in the jaw with a kick to the side that he had learnt from one of his many karate lessons with Whistler when he first became a warrior. He staked the disoriented vampire as the other one turned to dust. Then he turned back to Xander with an innocent expression on his face.  
  
"What was your question again?" Angel smirked at Xander's surprise. He patted him on the shoulder and took off, heading towards the hall.  
  
*****  
  
Only five minutes later, Xander and Angel (mostly Angel) had killed a few vampires and had found a bunch of frightened parents. They managed to get outside, and Angel had convinced Xander to bring them back home then go meet Kristin at her house. Buffy, Giles, Cordy and Willow had ran into a lot of vampires but they had managed to dust them all. But there was someone missing. And they heard her screaming.  
  
"JENNY!!" Giles yelled, running with the others in the direction of the main hall. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a tall impressive vampire holding her by the neck. The vampires had cut down the power, so the whole building was dark, but they could still see clearly the features of the vampire. It was the ugliest vamp the Scoobs had ever seen. Buffy recognized him from earlier, when she was in the ventilation duct with Angel. The right side of his face seemed to have melted, you couldn't make out where his right eye was, the corner of his lips glued together, the deep burns on his skull probably running down to his neck and his back. He was the most horrible vampire...and he wasn't even in game face. The worst part being that if you concentrated on his non-burnt half of his face, you could figure out that he must have been very handsome before he was disfigured. The master vampire was surrounded by five vamps, in game face, eyeing the four humans hungrily. "Let her go" Giles exclaimed, not thinking at how cheesy it sounded. Someone always said 'let her go' whenever there was an hostage...and said hostage would never be let gone. But seeing your girlfriend ready to be killed did that to some people.  
  
"Now, now, what do we have here?" The vampire said, his voice deep and dangerous.  
  
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, stepping in front of her friends, a step closer to the vamp.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I asked the question first my lady." The vamp taunted her, his grip on Jenny's neck making her whimper slightly.  
  
Clenching her fingers around her stake, Buffy glared at the vampire. "Name's Buffy."  
  
"The vampire slayer." Willow added, feeling like the right thing to say...maybe he didn't know and now...he'd run away in fear?  
  
No...he laughed. "That's a lot more fun. You're a lot cuter than the last one I killed." He commented, then sniffed in the air, smelling her scent even though she was a few meters away from him. He laughed again. A vicious laugh that made Willow and Cordelia shiver. "This is a LOT more interesting."  
  
"Do I even bother to ask why?" Buffy replied, acting cool, even though the 'last slayer I killed' made her less confident.  
  
"My good friend's scent is all over you, love. You're one precious little girl...for now."  
  
"How 'bout I show you just HOW precious I can be? Say..." She made a face, acting as if she was deep in thoughts. "by fighting?"  
  
The vamp just smiled, his mouth getting closer to Jenny's neck, and Buffy's body tensed, feeling she hadn't said the right thing.  
  
"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" The slayer eventually asked.  
  
"My name is Morfran. And I'm not interested in you. However, I do have something to say to our favorite boy" Morfran replied cryptically.  
  
"Who are you t" Giles begun, but they were interrupted by a scream by a vampire who had been guarding a doorway not far from where they were standing. One of the vampires who had been standing beside Morfran crossed the room, only to stop in front of Buffy. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down and noticed the stake that was piercing his heart. The next second, he dissolved into dust and the stake fell on the floor, the metallic handle making a loud noise. Everyone except Buffy and Morfran looked at where the stake had been thrown from, but there wasn't anyone. Morfran was grinning, obviously proud of himself, and Buffy was picking up the stake and inspecting it. It was the stake she and Xander had found in the cemetery, that belonged to the other person killing vampires and demons in town. He was here. Or well...she. Who knew?  
  
"Oh good, my boy is here." Morfran stated with a pleased smile. "How about you come over here sweetheart?" He told Buffy, licking his lips. She was about the reply, but was interrupted by the click of a gun being loaded.  
  
"Don't move, you motherfucker" Angel almost growled, holding his 'Smith and Wesson 5906' in his right hand, aiming at Morfran's head, his other hand clenched into a fist to his side.  
  
"Oh god!" Cordelia breathed out, exchanging worried looks with Willow and Buffy. Guns wouldn't kill vampires...  
  
"Baby, it won't kill them. Don't do something stupid." Buffy told Angel softly, a little scared by the obvious anger radiating from his body.  
  
"She's so cute, isn't she? A hot little piece of ass if you ask me!" Morfran commented, eyeing appreciably Buffy's body.  
  
"Too bad she's mine." Angel retorted, with a dangerous smirk on his lips. "Not yours. Because...you don't have anyone, do you?"  
  
"FUCK YOU!" Morfran shouted, slipping into game face as soon as the words left Angel's mouth, making everyone except Angel jump in surprise. "You FUCKING little PIECE OF SHIT!!"  
  
"Wow, how rude! Do you kiss you girlfriend with that mouth?" Angel then acted as if the answer just hit him. "Oh...right. I guess not." Morfran pushed Jenny away violently, making her crash into Giles. He growled, a deep animalistic growl and glared furiously at Angel through golden eyes. Angel only adjusted his gun so that it was aimed at Morfran's chest.  
  
"You truly think you'll kill me with that thing?" Morfran asked with a mocking smile.  
  
"He's a vampire, you won't hurt him with a bullet!" Buffy added, looking at Angel with pleading eyes. But he wasn't looking at her. He wasn't looking at Willow or Cordelia, or Giles who was holding Jenny in his arms. He was looking straight into Morfran's eyes.  
  
"Try me." After a beat of hesitation, Morfran nodded to his 4 remaining minions. They started to walk towards Angel, as Buffy placed herself in a fighting position. Ready to kick their ass. As they got closer, Angel moved slightly, and shot. One bullet for each vampire. Right in the heart.  
  
One of the vamps looked down at himself and chuckled. "Bullets don't kill vampires you moro-" He didn't get enough time to finish his sentence, as he turned to dust in shock, with the others.  
  
"My, my, Angel, THAT's impressive. Wooden bullets, never saw that before." Morfran commented.  
  
"Oh god..." Buffy whispered in shock. They knew each other. Angel hadn't just found out about vampires.  
  
"I'm full of surprises" Angel winked at him.  
  
"And I'm full of resources." Morfran stepped back, letting a bunch of vampires who had just arrived attack the gang. Buffy quickly told Giles and the others to go rescue her mom and the others while she fought them. They left, leaving Buffy and Angel alone against a dozen vampires. Stake in hand, they started fighting back.  
  
After staking easily her first vamp, Buffy was surrounded by 2 others. As they made a move to punch her in the face, She crouched and swept her legs, knocking both vampires to the floor. She punched a third in the nose, making his nose bleed. She drove her stake in his heart as she knocked unconscious one of the 2 vamps remaining on the floor with a kick. However, the second one grabbed her foot and pulled, making the slayer fall on her butt. A new vamp jumped on her to pin her to the floor, but she rolled and kicked him in the chin, then the chest. She took advantage of his dizziness and rebounded to her feet. Grabbing her stake, she plunged it in a vamp's heart, withdrew as he turned to dust, only to drive it in the next vamp's.  
  
Angel was aware of the battle his girlfriend was engaged in...and obviously winning, but he couldn't pay attention to it. He had staked the three vampires who had attacked him, and he was now standing in front of Morfran. "You should have stayed away from me. I took you once, I can do it again." Angel exclaimed through clenched teeth.  
  
"I'm stronger now. With Saint Vigious night coming tomorrow, my power increased. By tomorrow night my strength will be three times more important than right now. I'll make you pay Angel. You'll pay for the death of my lover, you'll pay for THIS!" Morfran pointed at his face, but Angel didn't show any guilt. Why should he? He was one of the good guys, Morfran one of the evil very bad guys. End of story.  
  
"You won't make it to the ritual." They launched at each other, exchanging powerful punches and kicks, blocking some attacks, crashing into walls or furniture. At one point, Morfran got a hold of Angel's head and smashed it against a wall, making him bleed on the forehead. He made a move to punch him hard in the jaw but Angel quickly dodged, and the vampire's fist connected with the wall. Angel grabbed his arm and twisted it, forcing him to his knees. Morfran managed to grab Angel's ankle and pulled as he rebounded to his feet, so that Angel crashed on the floor on his back. Morfran took a hold on his neck and slammed his dizzy face hard on floor. As he couldn't help but get punched repetitively in the temple and the jaw, Angel bent his leg and managed to get his dagger out, instantly plunging it in his enemy's stomach. Morfran growled in pain, stepping back, and Angel was once more in front of him. However, the young warrior underestimated his opponent's recovering abilities. In one fast move, Morfran pulled out the dagger from his body, connected his fist with Angel's head, cutting him on the chest and arm with the blade of the dagger as he did. But Angel had learnt to forget pain while fighting, so he only stepped back and executed a high roundhouse, touching Morfran's chest with his boot and knocking him on his ass a few meters away. As he was about to finish him off, the vampire started chuckling.  
  
"You're gonna let your girl die to be able to kill me?" Angel turned around in panic and saw that Buffy was surrounded by a bunch of vampires, who were repetitively punching her, shoving her against a wall. The vampire hunter gasped and everything in his head was forgotten except the danger his girlfriend was in at the moment. He crossed the hall with vampire speed, and as soon as he reached the group, he grabbed the head of the vamp that was holding Buffy by the neck and crashed his skull against the floor, throwing a couple of punch to his face before grabbing a piece of broken furniture and dusting him. Buffy took advantage of the vampires' surprise and struggled out of their hold. She kneed the vampire on her right in the stomach and kicked the one on her left in the nose with her elbow. The slayer bent down and picked up Angel's stake. Before she could use it, the vamps recovered and both grabbed her by an arm. However, she startled them by performing a sudden somersault, kicking the floor with both feet, turning around in the air, leaning on their arms and landing behind them. She drove the stake in the first vamp's back, piercing his heart, and kicked the last one in his back, making him stumble forward onto Angel's piece of wood. A second later, all that was left of the demons was dust.  
  
Buffy and Angel were both panting heavily, exhausted by their long and hard fights of that evening. Buffy was looking at the stake - Angel's stake of all people - in her hand, slowly allowing all the information to reach her mind. Angel too was staring at the stake, but he wasn't thinking about his stake, he was thinking about the hand that was holding the stake. Eventually, at the same time, the two warriors raised their heads, and their eyes locked, silently.  
  
Fear of rejection coursed through Buffy's body, making her shiver as she stared in Angel's amazing brown eyes. Months of lies, false excuses, and frustration overwhelmed Buffy's heart and soul. She didn't even realize tears were falling down her cheeks as she waited for Angel to make a move.  
  
********* 


	31. Part 31

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
31.  
  
Angel remained silent for a few minutes. He just couldn't express what he was feeling...it was too much. Keeping his secret from Buffy had been really hard for him the past few weeks...and now she knew. And she was just like him. He couldn't describe his feelings. Then he realized she was crying. *Do something damn it! Walk over her! Say something! She's crying, go comfort her!!!* He thought, trying to actually move. Eventually, his body responded and he slowly walked over to Buffy, who was looking at him with fear in her eyes. *She's afraid I'm gonna leave her. Just like I thought she would if she knew...* They remained silent, the only sound they could hear was the faint siren of the police far away. Angel swallowed, reaching out to brush away the tears staining Buffy's cheeks with his thumb. Her bottom lip was slightly trembling, and the sight of her tear- filled eyes gripped his heart in self-loathing. *She's hurting because of me...* "Shh, baby, it's alright" He whispered softly, kissing her forehead. With a sob, Buffy let Angel gather her petite form in his arms, and she gripped his shirt with both her hands, burying her face in his chest and staining the blood-covered material with fresh tears of relief.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I lied to you" She murmured in a scared voice, as Angel tightened his hold of her body. His cheek was resting on top of her head and he was running his hands up and down her back soothingly.  
  
"I'm sorry too. God I hated so much lying, but I was afraid you'd run away from me. I can't lose you Buffy, I can't." He hold back his own tears as her body shook between sobs and he gently raised her chin so that she'd look into his eyes. "Don't cry baby, please, I hate seeing you sad, please stop crying...I'm sorry I hurt you, I"  
  
"Shh, I'm ok, Angel, I'm fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now, please don't blame yourself."  
  
He nodded with a deep breath and touched his forehead to hers. He looked into her eyes once more. "Are we ok?"  
  
"We still need to talk about...everything. But yeah, we're ok. Well...I am...are you?"  
  
"Ya, a little surprised, but otherwise I'm good." He smiled weakly at her and they shared a sweet kiss as the police arrived in front of the school.  
  
"We should go see the others." Angel murmured as they pulled apart.  
  
"I'm so tired." Buffy admitted, her eyes closed, glad that Angel was holding her, or she'd already be laying on the floor by now. Angel smiled slightly and swept her off her feet, carrying her, cradling her tightly against his chest.  
  
"Sleep baby, we'll talk later. Just rest now." He kissed softly her lips, and she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as he carried her out of the building. In a matter of minutes, Buffy had dozed off. Angel spotted the scoobies minus Xander, talking with a police officer. As he walked over them, the police officer left to go talk to some people who had been staying with Buffy's mom.  
  
"Oh god! Is she" Willow trailed off, looking at Angel anxiously.  
  
"Sleeping. S-she's tired after...everything." The young warrior's gaze was on his sleeping girlfriend, but it was mostly to avoid everyone else's. The tension was thick between Angel and the Scoobies. Eventually, Angel found enough courage to speak up. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He raised his head and locked his gaze with Willow, who smiled sheepishly, Cordy, who shrugged, Jenny, who smiled reassuringly. Giles, on the other hand, didn't seem friendly.  
  
"What-" The librarian started, but was interrupted by Kristin, who was running towards them with Xander.  
  
"Hey, Angel, what happened? Is she ok?" Kristin pointed at Buffy, who seemed exhausted.  
  
"Yeah, she's fine."  
  
"What...er...was it..." She looked at the scoobies, embarrassed. "Can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
"They know." Angel stated simply, knowing she's get what he meant.  
  
Kristin looked shocked. She stared at Willow, Cordy, Giles and Jenny, then Xander, then back at Angel. "They do? Does she?"  
  
Angel looked at Buffy, who was burying her face further between his shoulder and neck. "Yeah."  
  
"We're fine, Kristin. We already knew about demons, cause Buffy's the slayer." Willow explained briefly, receiving a blank look from Kristin.  
  
"Ok..." She looked at Angel expectedly "A slayer?"  
  
He shrugged with a sigh. "Don't ask me, I dunno what it is."  
  
"Is she like a demon??" Kristin asked incredulously.  
  
"not a demon" Buffy mumbled sleepily, rubbing her cheek against Angel's shoulder.  
  
"Buffy!" An angry familiar voice woke her up fully. He eyes shot open as she stared at her mother, who was approaching them. Then she realized she was still in Angel's arms and gestured for him to let her go. He set her on her feet reluctantly, but keeping an arm around her waist possessively. He didn't like that woman's behavior.  
  
"Mom..." The slayer bit her lip nervously, unconsciously squeezing Angel's hand tighter.  
  
"Where in the world were you? I was worried! The police said it was a gang...were you with him?" She pointed accusingly at Angel.  
  
"Mom, he-he...he saved me. I was attacked and he saved my life." Buffy half- lied, her eyes pleading with her mother to let it go for tonight. She was exhausted, and she knew she'd have to stay up a few more hours to talk with Giles and the others, and more importantly, there was Angel to deal with. "Please, mom, I don't have the strength to argue with you. Please let it go."  
  
Joyce looked at her daughter, who was slightly injured. Then she glanced at Angel and noticed the obviously deep cuts in his chest and his arm, his torn shirt and his bruised, bleeding face. She looked back at Buffy, sighing deeply. Whatever happened tonight, she couldn't argue with the fact that it wouldn't be wise to yell at her teenage daughter. They'd have time to talk the next day or some day soon. "Fine." Buffy's eyes widened in surprise. "But we'll have a serious talk tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah...er...can I stay at Willow's tonight? I need to be with my friends tonight." Buffy asked hopefully.  
  
Joyce seemed to think about it, then after a minute, she nodded. "Alright. But don't do anything stupid."  
  
"Thank you mom!" Buffy pulled away from Angel to hug her mom, showing her how much she was thankful. Buffy knew her mother could be a stubborn pain in her supernatural ass, but Joyce could also be the understanding loving mother every teenager wished for.  
  
Before pulling away, Joyce whispered in her daughter's ear "If you sleep with him, I will have to kill him."  
  
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. And he'd never push." Buffy whispered back, closing her eyes with an amused smile on her face.  
  
"Bring him home one evening for dinner." Buffy knew that she wanted to interrogate him and try and find every single detail that could make him a bad boyfriend...still, the slayer appreciated the effort. And anyway, nothing could take her away from Angel. Her mom would just HAVE to see how wonderful he is.  
  
As they pulled apart, Joyce looked at Angel, who had walked away a little and was listening to his sister, with a sad expression on her face. "I'll see you tomorrow sweetie." A minute later she was gone, and Buffy turned back to her friends, surprised to see that Angel had moved away from the group.  
  
Seeing her friend's confusion, Willow stepped in. "He...just walked away...I think he wasn't comfortable around us."  
  
"Can we meet you at the library?" Buffy suggested, and they all nodded, taking off shortly as the police left the campus. Buffy approached Kristin and Angel, who was sitting on a bench, holding his head in his hands.  
  
"She'll get hurt. She's gonna die because of ME. They always die. Or leave." Angel replied, staring at his shoes absently.  
  
"No, bro, Buffy's not like Julie or Steven or all the others, she's got something. We don't know what she is, but she has power. And she's fighting on OUR side. Maybe that's what you need. Someone who'll understand you and fight by your side. Feel your pain because she lives through it, too." Kristin argued, sitting next to her brother and taking one hand in hers.  
  
"You don't know if she'll able to understand. It's not because she knows about this world that she can understand mine."  
  
"Why not? WE do."  
  
Angel lifted his head and looked into his sister's, a flash of pain, confusion and anger in his brown orbs. "Really? Is it just my imagination or is Spike's dad locked up in jail for dealing drugs to kids? Didn't Faith run away from her alcoholic parents? Are Gunn's parents and sister still alive? Did you ever see Jessica hugging and kissing her abusing father before she ran away from her home? Do you actually think that any of them could have lived more than a week in my world if they had anything to lose?"  
  
Kristin couldn't really answer that. But she could defend Buffy. And she would as long as her stupid brother would keep complicating his love life for nothing. "You can't possibly blame her for loving her mother." She snapped at him, starting to get angry.  
  
"I didn't say that." He murmured sheepishly, looking away once more.  
  
"Give her a damn chance Angie! You know you can't live away from her. Don't blow everything away because your relationship reached a new level." Angel sighed and stayed silent for a long time. Eventually, he spoke up.  
  
"I already told you not to call me Angie." He grumbled, making Kristin grin victoriously.  
  
"She's coming over. Don't even think of giving her the infamous I-know- what's-best-for-you speech. Just make sure everything's right between the 2 of you. And I'm warning you, I'm waiting close, if I see her crying or looking sad, I'll be staking you myself." Angel smiled his thanks and Kristin winked at him and left. He stood up, breathing deeply before walking the rest of the way to Buffy.  
  
"Hey...are you ok?" The slayer asked with a shy smile.  
  
"I'm fine baby, don't worry." He placed his palm on her cheek and she leaned into his touch with a tiny moan.  
  
"How about we go to the library and get on with the details? I'm sure you'd rather tell the story only once." Her gaze fell on his bruises on his face and the cuts on his chest. "And you need some serious patching up, mister." He smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then grabbed her hand, and they walked towards the library, and ran into Kristin on their way.  
  
"Diane and Frank drove Xand and I here, they're waiting to drive me back home. Are you guys gonna be fine?" She asked them, staring pointedly at Angel.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks Krissy." Angel kissed her on the forehead, squeezing Buffy's hand.  
  
*****  
  
There was an awkward silence in the library. The school was deserted, but a little group was sitting around the research table of the library. Angel was sitting between Cordelia and Buffy, Willow was sitting on Oz's lap (who had just arrived from Dingoes practice), next to Xander, Jenny and Giles.  
  
"I'm tired. I'd like to know if any of you is gonna say something, otherwise I'll just fall asleep right now." Cordelia exclaimed bluntly after a moment. That seemed to break the tension a little.  
  
"So...Angel," Giles started, taking off his glasses and starting to clean them with his handkerchief.  
  
"What's a slayer?" Angel interrupted him, looking at Buffy as if he expected to just know the answer by looking at her. But she looked like she always did to him, young, innocent, pure, gorgeous...she didn't look like a girl who would 'slay' anything.  
  
Giles seemed offended that Angel didn't even acknowledge what he was about to say. But as a dutiful watcher, he relented to explain the concept of the slayer, exchanging a nod with Buffy. "The slayer. The one and only girl in the whole world with the skills and abilities to fight the forces of darkness. In each generation, a vampire slayer is born."  
  
"One dies, the new one is called." Buffy added with a fake smile.  
  
"A slayer is guided by a watcher, from the Watchers Council of England" Giles finished, eyeing suspiciously Angel. The young man had gone very pale and was staring at Buffy, his breathing deep and forced.  
  
"V-V-vampire s-slayer? You...what do..." He stuttered, shifting in his seat nervously.  
  
"I kill vampires...and also demons...but I tend to have a thing against vamps more than demons." Buffy told him with a smile, joking lightly. He didn't seem to get the joke though. "Angel?" She looked into his eyes and briefly saw fear there, but he quickly recovered and pushed it away. So...she was a VAMPIRE slayer...he was half vampire...that didn't mean that she'd change her mind about him...hopefully. But he wouldn't tell her the whole truth. Not yet. Softly, he caressed her cheek with his fingers, tracing the outlines of her lips with his thumb.  
  
"I saw you fighting. Your moves were smooth and graceful...but your aim was still the kill. How do you that?" He asked her softly, pushing aside his fears for the moment.  
  
Buffy blushed at the compliment. "I was born with this. I'm human, but I have slayer strength and I heal fast, and I know how to fight." She kissed his palm and intertwined their fingers. "What about you?"  
  
Angel looked away with a sigh, rubbing his temples to calm himself down. "I wasn't born with it."  
  
"What are you?" Xander asked, curiosity taking the better of him.  
  
"I'm a warrior for the PTB" Angel answered, glaring at Giles as the librarian came back from his office with different old books, obviously ready to search about Angel.  
  
"The Pity Bee? What's that?" Willow asked, confused.  
  
"The Powers that Be." Angel replied simply. Giles gasped in shock and Jenny caught in time the book he was about to drop.  
  
"The Higher Powers? What are you talking about?" The watcher asked in disbelief. There was no way the annoying boyfriend of his slayer was in any way linked to the Powers.  
  
"I work for them" Angel rolled his eyes, annoyed by the attitude of his girlfriend's 'watcher'...  
  
"But...but..." Giles stuttered, staring at Angel. When he noticed his lifted eyebrow, Giles quickly focused his attention back to his books.  
  
"What's wrong Jeeves? Surprised the stupid boyfriend isn't as useless and worthless as you thought? I'm touched by the disbelief on your face, ya know." Angel stated sarcastically, crossing his feet on the table, much to the watcher's annoyance.  
  
Buffy could feel the tension between the two men and quickly put the conversation back on tracks. "What are the Powers that Be? And what do you mean you work for them?" She asked, stroking softly his arm. That's when she noticed the deep gashes on his biceps and on his chest. "Don't move baby." She whispered sweetly in his ear before dropping a light kiss on his forehead and heading towards Giles' office to get the first-aid kit.  
  
When she came back, she made Angel sit on the table so that his chest would be on her eyes level and started unbuttoning his shirt carefully so that she wouldn't hurt him more. She mentioned to him to answer her earlier question. "The Powers are...well, no one really knows actually. They more or less make stuff happen...They can't actually control humanity, but they plan the destinies of the warriors for their cause."  
  
"Like you" Oz added, and Angel nodded.  
  
"So...how did it happen for ya? Do you have a watcher too?" Xander asked, looking at Angel with a mixture or annoyance and admiration.  
  
"I found out about demons, decided to fight them, the PTB contacted me and here I am." He glanced over at Giles and tried not to chuckle. "And me having a watcher? That'd be a BIG no"  
  
Buffy looked up at him questioningly. "Then who trains you?"  
  
He shrugged, playing the hem of his girlfriend's shirt. "I do it myself."  
  
"And yet you manage to be a good fighter, from what we saw tonight. Interesting." Giles stated, staring at Angel expectantly. "Angel, would you mind coming over here this week-end so that I can judge of your abilities?"  
  
"My abilities are just fine, I don't need judging." Angel retorted, scowling at the watcher.  
  
"Hum, yes I understand that, but if you're planning on staying in my slayer's life, I'll have to check if whether or not you'll interfere in a positive way in her work." Giles insisted seriously.  
  
"Come on, I wanna see if you're strong enough to take me down. It'll be fun." Buffy told Angel quickly before he could say anything, knowing that the relationship between him and her watcher could turn bad. She wanted to avoid that with all her heart.  
  
"Fine." Angel relented, sitting back down on his chair and making Buffy sit on his lap. His mouth close to her ear, he whispered huskily "And I'd take you anytime baby."  
  
"Hey, not that this conversation is utterly boring, but...isn't there some big evil event tomorrow that we know crap about?" Cordelia suddenly exclaimed, making everyone turn their head in her direction. "What? I worry about the world too, you know!"  
  
"She's right guys. Saint Vigious night, tomorrow, and still no clue about what to expect." Jenny agreed.  
  
"Oh crap! I had forgotten about that." Buffy groaned and buried her face in Angel's shoulder.  
  
"Well, we found some pretty interesting stuff the last few days. It seems that this is supposed to be a big deal for vampires...it's supposed to" Willow started to explain, handing books to Giles where she had read things about this night.  
  
Angel interrupted her suddenly. "it's a ritual vamps need to perform in order to double their strength. But they have ways to accentuate the effects on their power, but only master vampires know it. They organize a ceremony which includes chanting, blood sharing, human sacrifices. The usual. They're led by Morfran, who's a 150 year old vamp. He's a good planner but lately he let his emotions decide for him. And also, he takes revenge seriously. Stopping them from finishing the ritual would be the best option." There was a minute of silence, where the scoobies stared at Angel in surprise. He had never talked that much and he...obviously knew a LOT more than they did.  
  
Xander broke the silence. "How the hell do you know that stuff? G-Man here ignored half of what you just said."  
  
"I've been working at the Magic shop downtown for a few days, so I was able to do some research."  
  
"Oh, well...I guess...we have, you did..." Giles trailed off, unsure of what he intended to say. It'd certainly take some time for him to get used to Angel as part of the team. "So we should start setting up a plan to-" He stopped when everyone except Angel groaned. Sleepless night. Again. Oh joy. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Giiiles!" Buffy whined, her exhaustion clearly showing on her face. "We're all tired, we had a rough night! Don't make us stay up all night!"  
  
"My friends are coming over tomorrow morning." Angel informed them, smiling at Buffy. "The plan is already clear. It won't take long to locate Morfran, and as soon as we found his lair, we'll interrupt them. So you can either join us and sleep tonight or...stay here."  
  
"Giles, don't take it the wrong way, but Angel's idea's really good." Buffy grinned at her frustrated watcher.  
  
"Stay with me tonight?" Angel suggested in a whisper, which made her giggle.  
  
"Sure" They kissed sweetly before standing up and saying their goodbyes. Shortly after they left, the rest of the scooby gang agreed to meet up the next day, and they all went home.  
  
********* 


	32. Part 32

Guys, I just wanted to say that you are GREAT!!! I love all the reviews, keep it coming!!!! I'm gonna TRY to update more often, but...well, don't kill me or something if I don't get new chapters every week, k? :) And just so you know, I don't plan to let this fic unfinished! It might take some time but I'll finish it, I promise!!  
  
Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
32.  
  
Angel's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Buffy. She had just gotten out of his bathroom after taking a shower, and she was only wearing her underwear, and one of his shirts that was so big for her that it reached her knees and he couldn't even see her hands. She had made him take a shower first, to get all the blood off his face and chest and arms, and now he was sitting on his bed, clad in his boxers...staring at his girlfriend in awe.  
  
"God...you're so damn hot..." He murmured, not even aware he had said it loudly, as she crossed the room to sit beside him.  
  
"Thanks." She blushed, and licked her lips nervously. They had never slept in the same bed before. Fooled around, yeah. Made out like crazy, sure. But slept as in sleeping, as in a couple that sleeps in the same bed? Nuh huh. After a moment, Angel's lips were on her own, crushing them in a deep demanding kiss that left her breathless after they pulled away.  
  
"Get under the covers" He instructed her as he stood up and lifted the covers. She slipped inside and he joined her shortly after, hugging her body close to his. Resting her head on Angel's smooth firm chest, Buffy let a relieved and happy sigh escape her mouth.  
  
"We still need to talk about it." Buffy murmured after a moment.  
  
"I know." He stroked her hair and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of her small body against his. A minute later, he felt Buffy raise her head and he opened his eyes in confusion, meeting her expectant gaze. "Oh, you meant like NOW?" She bit on her lip and nodded sheepishly. "Alright. What do you wanna know?" He asked her with a yawn.  
  
"Stuff you didn't tell before at the library. Like...when you were called, and how, and how you took it..." She trailed off, as she snuggled deeper in his embrace. He sighed heavily...this was gonna be a long story.  
  
~*~  
  
~FLASHBACK~  
  
A week before Christmas 1992. (present time=1997) New York  
  
It was a dark snowy evening like many of those in New York when approaching Christmas. A 14 year old Angel was walking down the streets of Manhattan towards the orphanage, back from a basketball game with his two best friends Steven and Spike, and the bleached blonde's older friends. Angel was freezing, but he didn't care. He had learned for the past 2 years that physical pain was a way to forget about emotional one. He smiled slightly, picturing Julie's angry glare if she knew what he was thinking about. His girlfriend and sister tended to freak out when he mentioned that he didn't mind pain...and he could hardly blame them...after all, he had slit his wrists in an attempt to stop the emotional pain a little less than a year ago...and the two of them and Steven had been the ones to find him in the bathroom, sitting in a pool of his blood, staring in space like he was in a trance. So, yeah, he gave them credit for not knocking him unconscious every time he didn't seem to care about his well-being.  
  
"Hey Angel!" A familiar voice called for him from behind. Angel turned around and waited for his best friend to catch up with him.  
  
"I thought your parents were taking you home." Angel stated as he resumed walking, Steven following him.  
  
"Yeah, well apparently they forgot." Steven replied, rolling his eyes. He was just sick of his parents. They didn't seem to care about him, all they did was yell or shout at him. He didn't like raising that subject with Angel though, because of what happened with his family not so long ago. Steven didn't feel like he had the right to complain about his parents when his best friend's parents had abandoned him and died about 2 years earlier. "What are you doing tonight anyway? I heard Kristin complaining to my sis this afternoon about ya."  
  
Angel had to chuckle at that one. "I know, she keeps bugging me these days about how I never spend time with her."  
  
"She's jealous of Julie?"  
  
"I'm thinking she doesn't understand why we're not allowing her to stay with us at night. But hey, when she grows up she'll get why we had to be alone."  
  
"You guys are really into that sex thing, aren't you?" Steven exclaimed with a hint of amazement in his voice. Since Angel told him everything, he knew that Angel and Julie had been having sex for about 6 months now, and they were both 14. The brown haired boy was only 13, but he doubted that even if he was in love with a girl by next year he'd be ready to sleep with her.  
  
"Man, it's fantastic." Angel sighed with a slight grin. "When I'm making love to her...I don't think about anything else but her. It's like I'm in this world where there's only her and me, where I can forget about my life and imagine I'll never go back. It feels so good. Peaceful."  
  
"Are you happy?" Steven asked bluntly, and Angel thought a minute about it. He then turned towards his friend with a small smile.  
  
"Yeah...I think I am." As Steven was about to reply, some weird guy stormed out of a dark alley and bumped into Angel, knocking him down on his ass.  
  
"Hey!" The dark haired boy protested, but the guy didn't stop. Then suddenly, he turned around and sniffed the air around a bewildered Angel. With an evil smirk on his face, his eyes turned from black to bright gold as his face contorted in its demonic features. Both the young boys held back their screams, staring in shock at the creature. Angel was frozen in panic as the vampire reached out and grabbed his face, inhaling his scent.  
  
"Her scent is all over you." Then the demon chuckled evilly, making Angel whimper slightly. "I've got a present for ya over there." He pointed at the alley and let go of Angel. The boy didn't have time to blink, he was already gone.  
  
"W-W-Wha-what-t-t..." Steven stuttered, staring at a more than confused Angel. The 14 year old boy blinked rapidly, a few times, and stood back on his feet, his eyes focused on the dark alley a few meters away from them. "Maybe we should call someone...the police or my parents or" Steven stopped when he realized Angel wasn't listening. He was walking towards the alley, his breathing deep and obviously painful.  
  
Angel wasn't aware of anything that happened around him as he walked into that alley. He was barely aware that Steven was beside him, talking about calling the police or the hospital or some genetic experiences his dad had told him about when he was a child that would explain why this person was so frightening. However, Angel had this feeling in his guts that guided him to a corner and then another one, until he faced a dead end. He swallowed harshly and his whole body tensed the moment his gaze fell on something, laying on the floor next to a wall. He walked towards what caught his attention and crouched beside what seemed to be a lifeless body. With a shaking hand, he softly grabbed the shoulder of the limp body and turned it around.  
  
His heart shattered in a million pieces as the last bit of innocence in him was torn away from his life. He didn't even hear Steven's cries, he was frozen, staring at the two blood-covered holes in the neck of his dead girlfriend. At that moment he swore to whoever was up here that he'd take revenge.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh my god" Buffy whispered, stroking softly Angel's face, after he finished telling her how he found out about vampires. "It's horrible, I'm so sorry."  
  
"It was a long time ago" He sighed, pressing Buffy's body a little more against his. It was indeed a long time ago, but he remembered everything as if it had happened the day before.  
  
"And I thought they made it hard on me when I was called...They threw me to face a vamp and bam I realized I was a slayer." She answered his unspoken question and he nodded.  
  
"But you managed to kill him? Without getting hurt?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Yeah...I was scared like shit, and I had to stake him a couple of times cos I kept missing the heart, but it turned out ok. How about YOUR first vamp?"  
  
"I ended up in the hospital for a week." He chuckled as she widened her eyes in surprise. "I was only a normal 14 year old kid at the time. Kinda hard to have the upper hand against a vampire."  
  
"How did you get so good?" She wondered, tracing circular patterns on his bare chest.  
  
"I met someone." He answered with a grin at the memory.  
  
~*~  
  
~FLASHBACK~  
  
March 1993  
  
The demon sent by the Powers That Be had been around for a couple of months now, unbeknown to the boy he was watching. At first, Whistler had been annoyed by his mission. He didn't like telling some clueless guy that he was destined to help save the world...'cause they usually didn't believe him. He had to make them see their power, sometimes risk their lives to make them understand who they were. But as soon as he got to watch Angel in action, he decided to deeply commit himself in this case. It was different. All the people he had warned about their mission had been born with their powers and only realized they had them when they reached their twenties. Up to now, Angel was just the average kid. Normal. And he was about to become one of the most important warriors in the world. Whistler sighed deeply as he watched Angel get thrown in the wall by a single punch of the vampire he had been fighting with. 14. He was 14. Whistler had realized how different Angel was from the average 15 year old slayer. It was HIS choice to fight. Whistler had always disapproved of the watcher's council's methods to call their slayers...and here he was...about to do the same. How ironic. Eventually, Whistler stepped out of the shadows and walked towards Angel as he staked the vampire.  
  
"You're too slow, boy. And you talk too much for someone who has no technique whatsoever. You make crucial mistakes that give the vampire the perfect opportunity to rip out your throat."  
  
Angel raised his head in surprise and his eyes narrowed, taking in the appearance of the man in front of him. "Gee, thanks for the compliments." He muttered sarcastically, clutching his stake in his hand.  
  
Whistler chuckled lightly and offered him his hand. Angel was hesitant though. "I'm Whistler. I've been meaning to talk to you for quite a time now Angel." The boy shook his hand as he didn't feel any danger from this guy.  
  
"How do you know me?"  
  
"I work for well-informed people."  
  
"What do you want?" Angel demanded, shifting uncomfortably under the short Irishman's gaze.  
  
"The Powers That Be noticed you and decided to make a deal with you." Whistler informed him, mentioning for him to follow. The demon started walking away, and soon Angel went with him.  
  
"The powers that be what?"  
  
"Nothin', just the Powers That Be. The higher powers for good in this world and all the others."  
  
"I-I don't get it. What do they want with me? How do they know me?" Angel asked, and Whistler grinned at him.  
  
"They know mostly everything. And you're a special boy."  
  
"Care to explain?" The 14 year old asked, starting to be annoyed by this guy.  
  
"You've got potential. You actually WANT to fight, to help. To help making things better. But do you really think you're gonna last more than a few months in your state?"  
  
"I don't" Angel started to object, offended, although he knew Whistler was right.  
  
"The deal is quite simple my boy. The Powers offer you to fight for their cause and give you the required abilities. But there's a price. Would you be interested?"  
  
Angel didn't have to think twice about it. There was something special about Whistler that made him want to trust him. "Yeah."  
  
"Even if it'll change your whole life? Forever?"  
  
"Yeah. What's the price?"  
  
Even though he expected Angel to react that way, Whistler was slightly taken aback by his abrupt determination. That boy knew about the world and wanted to be able to make a difference. That's all that mattered for him. "You would gain the abilities of a vampire. Strength, coordination, speed, healing..."  
  
"So that's good, right? Let's do it." Angel interrupted him.  
  
"Don't you want to think about it for at least a minute?" Whistler insisted. There was no way he'd let this boy rush into this kind of life.  
  
"Alright." Angel closed his eyes, acting as if he was concentrating. "I'm in." He exclaimed after 3 seconds.  
  
"I want you to understand that you will be part vampire. You may not be dead or eternal, but you won't feel comfortable in the sun, you'll have a demonic face."  
  
"But I'll be able to help. Really help? Fighting, saving people?"  
  
"That's the point, yeah."  
  
"So do it." Angel concluded firmly.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
~*~  
  
"Did he help you after?" Buffy asked after Angel told her about Whistler. He hadn't told her about the being-part-vampire thing, though.  
  
"Yeah" Angel nodded, playing with a strand of Buffy's hair. "He taught me the basics of fighting, gave me tips and stuff. I owe him and the Powers a lot. If he hadn't been there, I doubt I'd even be alive right now."  
  
"I'm really glad you know I'm the slayer." Buffy murmured after a moment.  
  
***** //Erm...yeah yeah, I know these days we're not supposed to post stuff with a higher rating than R on ffnet, but I'm posting this fic on groups and stuff, where you can get naughty...and it just bugs me to change it right now! Anyway, if you're old enough to read R stuff, don't tell me you are afraid of more!! I, for one, write NC17 stuff, and I'm only 16! But if it's a big deal for everyone, I'll write a short summary or something...and tell you where to find the real thing next time! And if you really don't like that stuff, well...stop reading that part!// *****  
  
"Me too." He gave her that little half smile that makes her melt and pulled her into a sweet kiss that quickly turned more and more passionate. Buffy crawled on top of Angel, sliding her tongue across his lips sensually as Angel slipped his hands inside her...actually his...shirt and caressed her butt, delighted by the fact that she wore a thong. She started trailing big wet kisses on his jaw, his neck, behind his ear, making him moan. He ran his hands up and down her back for a moment, then lifted it from her body and threw it across the room, quickly returning his attention to his slayer's intoxicating body. He flipped her on her back and her legs straddled his right leg, pressing herself against his thigh. Angel nibbled at her ear, getting a moan from his girlfriend. As Buffy slightly shifted on the bed, her leg rubbed her boyfriend's erection, which made him groan in her neck. She kissed him passionately as her hand trailed down his back to his stomach, where she played a little with his navel. One of his hands reached her back and unclasped her bra. She helped him take it off but quickly pressed herself against his chest, and he understood that she still wasn't feeling that comfortable at the idea of showing herself fully naked, right under his eyes. What a shame, really, he could do with a little checking out...  
  
"Touch me" Buffy said so quietly that Angel almost thought he had imagined it. He raised his head and drowned in her hazel eyes. Slowly, his hand made its way from her back to her hip and her stomach, then back to her hip and he caressed her smooth skin up to the outlines of her breasts. He cupped one breast with his hand, running his thumb around her nipple and squeezing softly as he plunged his tongue in her mouth, meeting hers in an achingly slow mating dance. After a moment, Angel lowered his head to her neck, then made his way to her breasts with wet kisses along her jugular. Answering her whimpers, he took one nipple in his mouth, his tongue stroking it sensually while he played with her other breast with one hand. Suddenly, it was his turn to gasp in pleasure, as he felt Buffy's little hand lightly stroking his erection through his boxers.  
  
"Oh god...oh god baby, yeah, that's good" He murmured against her breast, and Buffy grew a bit more confident. She cupped his member, still through his boxers...full contact would be a little too much right now...and then caressed it with more and more boldness. Angel had returned his attention to her other nipple, licking her skin, which only made her motions on his cock increase.  
  
"Angel" She breathed out with difficulty. "Please, I-I want you" He pulled away in surprise, staring in her eyes seriously.  
  
"What?" He was almost afraid to ask, it looked to good to be true.  
  
"I'm ready Angel. I want you to make love to me, I love you" Angel's heart was filled with joy at her words. He kissed her with all the love he could express and crushed her body against his.  
  
"Baby, I've been waiting so fucking long for that! You can't imagine the nights I spent in my bed thinking about you, about your hot little hands on my"  
  
She stopped him from saying more by slipping her hand into his boxers and grabbing...what he had been about to say. "I felt the same way. I had dozens of dreams, where you ripped off my clothes and fucked me senseless in the middle of the classroom. In other dreams I could almost feel you throbbing against my naked sweaty body while you made me orgasm with your tongue on my clit. You have no idea how many times I woke up dripping wet for you alone in my bed, how many times I tried to imagine it was your fingers that were buried deep inside of me and not my own, how many times I could almost feel the taste of your cock in my mouth after I dreamed I was sucking you. Make love to me now Angel, I'm ready, I'm so wet my panties are dripping, just for you, only for you."  
  
Angel stared at his girlfriend in amazement, his mouth open in shock as she ripped her panties and his boxers away and grabbed his cock once more, running her fingers all over it. Buffy flipped him on his back and licked his chest from his nipples to his navel and down, throwing away the bed sheets as she descended so that he would be able to see her nude body. Straddling his legs, she dropped kisses on his shaft and licked the tip, grabbing his hips to prevent him from moving. "Be a good boy." With that she licked him from base to tip in one long stroke, which got him to cry out in pleasure. She took him slowly in her mouth more and more as she guided his hands on her breasts. Within a minute he was groaning half in pain half in extreme pleasure, but she pulled away before he could cross that line. She crawled back on top of his body, rubbing her over-heated sex against his rock-hard erection while she kissed him. Eventually, Angel reached between their bodies and, teasing and foreplay be damned, instantly buried two fingers inside her dripping core and stroked her clit with his thumb, driving her into a ride of twitching and moaning. After a while Buffy made him pull his hand away, only to get a hold on his cock and guide it into her aching sex. He almost screamed in pleasure as he entered her. She was so fucking tight and so hot...he slowly pulled in and out, going faster and faster at her demands, driving them both closer to the edge until...  
  
...the shrill ring of the phone reverberated in the bedroom, making him jump in surprise. His eyes shot open as he looked around him. His gaze eventually rested on the blonde who was resting on his chest, wearing his shirt and...sleeping. He almost chocked to death when he realized that what had started as a sweet kiss had only been a dream. *GODDAMNIT!!!! BLOODY FUCKING SHIT!!!!! FUCKING DREAM!!!! FUCK!!!*  
  
********** 


	33. Part 33

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
Hey, I decided to bring some French culture in here! Don't ask me how the hell a French song could ever be heard in the States, just...try and understand the lyrics. I you don't...erm...that's too bad =) (I can translate them for ya if you ask nicely...). Anyway, the song is "Que vous Dire" by Willy Denzey...who's French, even though his name doesn't sound like it! (oh, and if you're wondering why the hell I put a French song in here, that's cos I'm French and well...I like that song, it's way pretty!)  
  
*********  
  
33.  
  
Angel quickly got out of the bed, grabbed the cordless phone and left the bedroom to let Buffy sleep. "What?" He growled at whoever was calling.  
  
"Hey mate" The familiar British accent greeted him.  
  
"Spike" Angel sighed, sitting down on the couch "What the fuck do you want?"  
  
"What's wrong Peaches? Did I interrupt something?" He asked with a teasing note in his voice.  
  
"Nothing important" He glanced down at himself, rolling his eyes. *nothing important, yeah right...I was only dreaming of the best fuck I could ever have and got interrupted just before the end.*  
  
"Who's the girl? She a good lay?"  
  
"I wasn't having sex Spike. Now why are you calling in the middle of the night?"  
  
"While you were busy jumping the next small blonde you could see, we found a way to stop the bloody ritual"  
  
"I wasn't jum...you did? What is it?" Angel raised an eyebrow, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen.  
  
"A spell. It's supposed to bind the influence of soddin Vigious or somethin'. Problem is you won't find the bloody thing in books, it's engraved on the back of an amulet. Name's amulet of Kishfar."  
  
"Ok" The young warrior murmured while writing down the information. "Any idea where to find the amulet?"  
  
"Nope, sorry mate."  
  
"I'll go check at the magic shop in the morning. When are you and Faith coming over?"  
  
"Soon. We're on the road."  
  
"Yeah, well, see you later." They said their goodbyes and hung up. Angel rubbed his temples in circular motions, trying to get his mind away from the half naked blonde girl that was sleeping in his bed and about whom he just had to most passionate erotic dream ever. She was slowly driving him crazy with need, and he hated feeling that way, but it felt so good at the same time to be with her...  
  
After a minute he headed to the bathroom to take one long cold shower. With a big sigh he closed his eyes, letting the water run all over his body in an attempt to cool himself off, which was one tricky business because of his hybrid metabolism. When he didn't have sex for a long time, his testosterone rate was a lot higher than the average human, and it made him feel like a cat in heat or something. Quite disturbing image. Leaning on the wall of his shower, Angel grabbed his cock with one hand and stroke it softly, trying to picture Buffy doing it instead. He knew he was driving himself insane, but he couldn't help it, there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep with a hard on like that. *Fuck, I can see her little fingers...with that cute pink nail polish...grabbing me, pumping...so not helping my case here* He sighed heavily...he seemed to do that a lot lately. Hell, here he was in his shower, picturing the image of his girlfriend while she was sleeping in the next room, to masturbate in his shower...how pathetic for the guy who has the reputation of having screwed every available girl in Manhattan. New York's not that big a city, but still.  
  
Rolling his eyes, he quickly got rid of his problem...and slumped down the shower wall in defeat. Then he thought about his dream and what she had told him..."I want you to make love to me, I love you" He remembered vividly her breathless, sweet, pleading voice and closed his eyes. He had MADE her say the three words...it was his own twisted mind that made Buffy say them to him. What was that all about? Was it because he so desperately want her to say them? No, he didn't. He didn't give a shit about what she was feeling. *And that's the biggest lie of the century, but whatever...* It's not like he loved her, because he didn't. He cared about her, a lot, but he didn't love her. He couldn't love anyone in any other way than a brotherly sense. And even that wasn't true, he didn't love Kristin. He didn't love Faith, he didn't love Elizabeth, Spike, Gunn, Penn, Jessica, Carrie, Vanessa, Drusilla and any of the others. *Right, keep telling yourself all that, maybe in 2 or 3 thousand years you'll start to believe it. UGH!!! I'm so whipped! Like a fucking whining horny hormonal... ...whipped guy.* Thing is, in the last 7 years he kept telling himself that love wasn't something he'd ever find...but now he realized how wrong he had been. He might not be IN LOVE with anyone *and there is absolutely NO little voice in the back of my head whispering 'Buffy..., Buffy..., GODDAMNIT LISTEN TO ME YOU JACKASS YOU LOVE HER!!!!!!!'...no, I don't hear that voice*, but he certainly felt a lot more for any of his friends than a mere friendship. *Oh for fuck's sake I love them all!!! And I love Buffy the most, I can't talk about anyone else, I can't sleep without having her in my dreams, I can't breathe without thinking about her! I FUCKING LOVE HER!!!* Angel froze, as if his own inner debate had slapped him in the face. *All right, I'm scared and insane. Scared because I'm starting to realize that I'm in love with Buffy. Insane because I'm yelling at myself in my mind and I've been sitting for god knows how long in that shower and I think I used all the hot water. And now I'm cold.* He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and stood up, turning off the water.  
  
Angel stepped out of the shower, half hoping to see Buffy there...naked and waiting to get him back in bed to have sex...*jeez, get your head out of the gutter...* He quickly dried off and put on his boxers. He stepped out of the bathroom and opened his bedroom door, and stopped there. Buffy had moved a little, subconsciously using the vacant space where he had been sleeping. She was on her stomach, her hand resting where his chest should be. The sheets were twisted around her body but she had one leg poking out of the whole mess, one long, slim, tanned leg, with nothing to hide it from his hungry eyes and...  
  
*Down boy!* he thought as he rolled his eyes when he felt an all too familiar stirring in his groin. The dark-haired warrior tilted his head a little so that he could see more of his sleeping goddess and had to bite his bottom lip when he saw her shifting a little, letting him see her black thong. With all the willpower he could find, he tore his eyes from his girlfriend's exposed ass and got a look at the clock by his bed. It was already 9 in the morning. His friends would surely arrive soon, and it'd be best if they started the research on the amulet as soon as possible.  
  
Angel walked slowly to the bed and sat next to Buffy, lightly stroking her hair. "Baby?" All he got was a barely audible hmmm. "Baby, I'm gonna go out and get some food at the store for breakfast, ok?"  
  
"Sleeping" She mumbled into the pillow, and Angel had serious doubts that she had even heard him.  
  
"Buffy, sweetie?" He whispered in her ear, resting his weight on his arms as he bent over her.  
  
"Angel" She whispered back, turning around so they were face to face, but still she didn't open her eyes.  
  
"Morning" He murmured as he kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll be gone for half an hour. Gotta go get us something to eat." He repeated softly, lovingly, his face close to hers. She made some kind of noise that sounded like a moan and he took that as an answer. "You can stay in here, I'll bring you breakfast in bed, ok?" A smile crept on her face and he responded instantly with one of his own. "Get some more rest, you'll need it." He kissed her on the forehead and stood up, seeing that she obviously had understood the part where she could get to stay in bed and sleep longer...since she only snuggled deeper in the sheets. Angel reached out and grabbed the hem of the sheets, straightening them and pulling them over his girlfriend so that she'd be more comfortable. He gazed dreamily at Buffy before walking over his closet and getting pants, a shirt and boxers out. He took off the ones he had been wearing at night, just as Buffy finally decided to open her eyes.  
  
She was greeted by the sight of a very naked Angel who was, to her relief, his back at her. She couldn't help but gasp as her eyes rested on his ass, and she licked her suddenly very dry lips. The noise made Angel realize that she was awake and when he turned around, Buffy's eyes widened in surprise. "Like what you see?" He teased her, with a raised eyebrow and a half smile.  
  
She relaxed considerably when she saw he was holding his boxers in front of him. "Ok, I'm embarrassed." *But...hmmm...firm.* She blushed at her own thoughts, which made Angel grin wider.  
  
"Jeez Buff, as much as I enjoy you checking out my ass, I need to dress up. Wanna close your eyes?" He suggested in a teasing tone, but he knew she knew he only did that so that she'd be less embarrassed. He wasn't the kind of guy to be ashamed of his manhood. Far from it.  
  
Knowing she was blushing like crazy, Buffy closed her eyes tight, just when she saw him turning his attention to his clothes. After about 10 seconds, she couldn't resist the temptation anymore. *Just a little glimpse...can't hurt anyone...* She opened one eye carefully, only to see Angel, still clutching the material in front of himself, with an expression that screamed 'I knew you were gonna do that' Buffy smiled sheepishly and turned around, burying her face in the pillow to hide her ever redder cheeks. A minute later, she felt the bed moving and turned her head around. Angel was crawling on top of her, wearing his pants and a shirt. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed." He whispered in her ear when she buried her face in the pillow, making her shiver.  
  
"Not embarrassed" Buffy groaned, trying to keep some dignity.  
  
"Right." Her boyfriend replied, not convinced. "But just so you know, you don't have to feel shy around me." He told her, stressing his point by raining kisses on her shoulder. "If you want to see me naked, just ask me, I won't mind." She remained silent, which made him chuckle. "I know what's going on in that naughty little mind of yours, but baby, I just got dressed, you sure you want me to take my clothes off RIGHT NOW?"  
  
"I wasn't thinking about that!" She protested and turned around, facing him with a mock-pout.  
  
"Of course baby, of course." He bent over and kissed her full on the lips. She responded eagerly, bending her knees to straddle his hips through the sheets. Her arms went around his neck, pressing him into the kiss. After a few minutes of intense making out, they pulled away just enough to be able to see each other's eyes. "I gotta go baby."  
  
"Why?" She pouted, for real this time.  
  
"Because I, for one, am hungry, and there's nothing to eat here."  
  
"Fine, but get back soon." She relented, mostly because she was hungry too.  
  
"I promise." He stood up and put on his shoes as Buffy made herself more comfortable, sitting against the headboard to watch him.  
  
"I'll miss you." She stated, grinning shyly.  
  
"I'll miss you too my slayer." He answered with a quick kiss on her lips. Then, with a last smile at Buffy, Angel grabbed his wallet and left.  
  
*My slayer. He called me HIS SLAYER.* Buffy thought, a dreamy grin on her face. *That must be the most beautiful thing he ever told me, and he did it so naturally.* She was extremely relieved that Angel knew about her secret. And took it so well. Ok, so with him being a 'warrior' and all, the possibilities he would freak were way smaller, but...it felt really good that he took it well. *I'm his slayer. His. Key word: his. His his his his his his his..........HIS!!!!!* At that moment, she feared she would have a silly grin on her face the whole day. *Whatever, I'm his slayer.* Giggling like a little girl, Buffy got out of bed and out of the bedroom, wandering around the apartment. "There's nothing interesting in here...I'm gonna have to bully him into letting me hang stuff around." She told herself, entering the living room. She turned on the radio and looked around the shelves, thinking that Angel wouldn't mind.  
  
//Incertain, je m'avance à grand pas, la vie m'ouvre ses bras  
  
que ma fraicheur embrasse  
  
que jeunesse se passe  
  
il me faudra du temps et déjà je le prends  
  
tant qu'il m'en est donné  
  
il ne peut y avoir dans votre mémoire  
  
qu'une image dépassée  
  
Que vous dire si ce n'est que j'aime  
  
et que tout ce que vous pensez  
  
ne fera que mener les miennes  
  
à ne jamais vous les dévoiler  
  
que vous dire surtout pas le pire  
  
elles ne sont que du même au pire  
  
and I like it, I like it, oh yeah//  
  
Buffy went through Angel's CD collection, seeing that he mostly had only depressing songs. *typical...* She then spotted an open drawer and bent down to check what was in it. Recognizing Angel's sketch pads. The slayer picked them up, all three of them. Then she felt something in the drawer and kneeled down to reach inside. She managed to get a hold on whatever it was. It was an older looking pad, all wrinkled and full of dust. *Tsk tsk tsk...he JUST moved in and didn't even bother dusting off his stuff during the move. Typical male...* She thought as she walked to the couch. She sat down on it, pulling a blanket over her body and taking a deep breath...the blanket smelled like Angel, the pillows smelled like Angel...everything here smelled like him...*his slayer* and here was the big grin again.  
  
//Je connais le regard sur nos vies  
  
mais l'on connait aussi  
  
la chaleur qu'il inflige  
  
à donner le vertige  
  
à nos actes manqués  
  
envers ceux qu'on aimait  
  
puis-je enfin vous donner  
  
plus que jamais je veux  
  
me voir dans vos yeux  
  
pour que vous puissiez savoir  
  
Que vous dire si ce n'est que j'aime  
  
et que tout ce que vous pensez  
  
ne fera que mener les miennes  
  
à ne jamais vous les dévoiler  
  
que vous dire surtout pas le pire  
  
elles ne sont que du même au pire  
  
and I like it, I like it oh yeah//  
  
Buffy went through the sketch pads, admiring his boyfriend's skills. He was truly gifted. He could represent so perfectly the emotions of whoever he was drawing. She smiled brightly, recognizing the drawing he had made of her while they were on the phone that night. She took the older looking pad, and noticed the date that he had written next to his signature on the corners. This one was about 6 years old. The lines were a lot more uncertain than on his newest sketches, and Buffy could tell that he had improved a lot since those days, but he had still kept the same style. She recognized a few of a 10 or so year old Kristin, where she had obviously modeled for her brother. Then, as she turned the pages, a photo fell on her lap. She picked it up and looked at it with a frown.  
  
*What the hell?* It was an old picture of Angel and a blonde girl in bed, suspiciously naked, and they were about to kiss, with a big smile on both their faces. Then Buffy took a look at the page where the photo had been and saw a drawing of that picture. *Ugh...ex-girlfriend...how creepy is that? They can't be older than 14 in here...and here I am, a nearly 17 year old...to afraid to make love with him...jeez he must be so frustrated with me...* She flipped through the pages, seeing a lot of drawings of that same girl, until she froze and nearly dropped the pad in surprise. The drawing reflected so much anger, that it made her shiver slightly. It was that blonde girl again...but there was nothing sweet and cute about THIS drawing. Her eyes were so cold and empty, completely lifeless. She was lying in a strange position, her neck twisted...with 2 little holes on that neck. *Oh my god...that's the girl he told me about when he learnt about vampires...* The slayer realized, feeling the tears forming in her eyes, just thinking at the pain her boyfriend had felt. The drawings after that were really dark, a lot of them representing dead or injured people, children crying, eyes so devoid of emotions that she didn't resist the urge to close the book and put it right back where she had found it. At that point she started to understand just how much Angel had suffered and how many dark desperate periods in his past made him the man he was today. *I wish he was there so that I could hold him tight...and never ever let him go.*  
  
She jumped in surprise when she heard a knocking on the door. Grinning, she went to open the door. "I thought you said I could stay in bed until" She trailed off...it wasn't Angel.  
  
*****  
  
Faith raised her eyebrows seeing the girl before her. *Let's see what we've got here...Girl? Check. Blonde? Check. Petite? Check. Half-nude? Check. Yeah, I'm definitely at Angel's.* The brunette thought, not even trying to hide her grin, as she looked the girl up and down. *She's a cute one, at least Angel's standards didn't change.*  
  
Buffy had troubles finding her voice in front of that girl. She was a stunning brunette about her age, taller than her. She was wearing black leather pants that were dangerously low, and a leather jacket. She had dark make up on that made her look dangerous, with her long dark hair falling wildly around her face. Eventually, the slayer managed to find her voice. "Hum...Can I help you?"  
  
"Sure." The brunette replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the door frame.  
  
"If you're looking for Angel, he's not here right now, but"  
  
"I'm sure he'll be back soon, don't worry girlfriend." Faith entered the apartment, and Buffy hesitantly closed the door behind her. She watched as the brunette shrugged off of her jacket, throwing it carelessly on the couch, revealing a black skimpy halter top that would make any guy drool. She looked around the apartment, touching Angel's stuff, and finally plopped down on the couch with her feet resting on the coffee table in front of her. "Faith." She suddenly exclaimed, as she turned the pages of one of Angel's books.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Faith turned around and smiled friendlily at Buffy. "I'm Faith."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Buffy replied politely, joining her in the living room. "I'm Buffy. You're one of Angel's friends who're supposed to come over today, right?"  
  
"Yeah" Faith nodded. An awkward silence surrounded the room...well, at least for Buffy, Faith didn't seem too preoccupied by anything. "Was it your first time together?"  
  
"Angel and I? First time what?" Buffy frowned.  
  
"Yeah, and sex" Finally Faith raised her head, smirking at Buffy. "He's good, isn't he?"  
  
"You mean for sex?" Buffy asked incredulously.  
  
"No, I meant his drawing skills." Faith snapped sarcastically. "Of course I meant sex!"  
  
"Well, I don't know, it could have been the drawing since he's good at that!" Buffy exclaimed defensively.  
  
Faith looked surprise for a moment, then she stared at Buffy suspiciously. "How long have you known him?"  
  
"Few months."  
  
Angel never talked about his personal life or hobbies or anything with his one night stands. Which meant that he had found a replacement for Jess, Vanessa and the others. "So, you're the new fuck buddy. Interesting."  
  
"What? What? I'm not his fuck buddy!"  
  
"Whatever you say, B." Faith chuckled, thinking of the trouble Angel certainly came across to find his new gal. Maybe he had a couple others...he always was the cautious kind when it came to having sex.  
  
Buffy was about to reply but the sound of the door interrupted her. She turned around and saw Angel coming in with a bag in his hands, laughing. That was one sexy sight...*Angel laughing...yum* He was followed by a tall bleached blond guy that was laughing as well. She was startled by Faith, who was looking at them too and whistled appreciably. "Check out the stud" She exclaimed, looking at Angel up and down.  
  
"Gotta agree with you my love." Angel teased with a smirk as he put down the bag on the kitchen counter.  
  
"Don't feel too self-conscious lover" She added as Angel crossed the room.  
  
"Yeah, you wish." Faith scoffed, rolling her eyes.  
  
"I missed you Faith." Angel stated with a sweet smile.  
  
"I missed you too" She jumped off the couch and hugged him tight for a few minutes.  
  
"At least we know we're at Angel's." Spike commented as he noticed the little blonde who was standing with her arms crossed against her chest, waiting for Angel to notice her as well.  
  
"My thoughts exactly" Faith agreed, throwing a mock-offended look at Angel.  
  
"Shut up you two" Angel mumbled as he let go of Faith and walked over Buffy. He placed a kiss on her forehead and slipped his arm around her waist, trying not to be distracted by her clothes...He felt strangely aroused when he saw her in his clothes. "Buffy, this is Spike, one of my best friends. And I guess you've met Faith."  
  
"We've...met, yeah." She nodded with a nervous smile. "Maybe I should go get dressed" She suggested to Angel.  
  
"I kinda like ya like that you know." He told her with a teasing smile.  
  
"I don't doubt it, but it won't stop me from putting actual clothes on when your friends are here."  
  
"Any way I can change your mind?" He asked, his bottom lip forming the cutest pout Buffy had ever seen.  
  
"No"  
  
"Fine, go. May I make a suggestion first?"  
  
"Yeah" She frowned at him playfully.  
  
"Well..." He started making lazy circles on her hands and pulled her tighter to him. "I was thinking that since I'm tired and it's always really exhausting to have to think a lot...you could wear something that doesn't require for me a great deal of thinking...you know, maybe something that leaves little to the imagination."  
  
"You'd like that, huh? But I'm gonna see the others today. You'd be ok if Xander saw that much of me?"  
  
"I'm not afraid of Xander."  
  
"How about any guy in the street? Wouldn't you mind if they saw something and then they would be able to fantasize about it whenever they want?" Angel thought about it for a moment, then looked at her innocently.  
  
"I could lock you up in my bedroom." Buffy rolled her eyes and Angel lowered his head, capturing her lips in a sweet long kiss.  
  
"In your dreams" Buffy winked and walked away, leaving Angel staring at her with a silly grin.  
  
"What the bloody fuck was that, Peaches?" Spike and Faith were sitting on the couch, Faith on her boyfriend's lap, and they were both watching Angel with a bewildered look.  
  
"You know, we're used to see ya fool around with all your fuck buddies, but what's with all the fluffiness?" Faith explained when Angel frowned in confusion.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." He replied innocently and walked to the kitchen, putting on the counter what he had bought for breakfast.  
  
"What's wrong with him? He looks happy." Faith whispered in her boyfriend's ear, knowing fully well that Angel could hear her with his vampire hearing.  
  
"Dunno pet, but with Blondie here, we're gonna find out soon enough."  
  
********* 


	34. Part 34

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
********* 34.  
  
"Goodie, you got donuts!" Buffy exclaimed as she came in the kitchen.  
  
"I knew you liked that." Angel stated as he handed one to her.  
  
"Thank you" She replied sweetly before slipping her arms around his waist and kissing him. When they pulled away, Buffy sat down on the counter, facing Spike and Faith who were feeding each other with muffins. "So did you guys came together?"  
  
"Yeah, but my man was hungry so he left me here and left to get food." Faith answered, licking off a bit of chocolate from her finger.  
  
"I ran into Spike at the store" Angel added. He slipped his arms around Buffy's waist, holding her back against his chest, standing behind where she was sitting on the counter. He pressed a kiss behind Buffy's ear, making her giggle, and she fed him with a bit of donut.  
  
"So, tell me again what's the plan for today." Buffy asked her boyfriend, who was nuzzling her neck absently.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Spike found a way to stop the ritual."  
  
Spike and Faith looked up in surprise. "She knows?" They asked at the same time incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy's the slayer" Angel nodded, with a smile as he kissed Buffy on the cheek.  
  
"Aren't you all proud now to introduce me to your friends" Buffy teased him.  
  
"I have a good reason to be proud. How many guys can brag that they're dating the slayer?"  
  
"True" They smiled at each other before exchanging a deep long kiss. Until they were interrupted by Spike.  
  
"What's a slayer?"  
  
"She's like me" Angel answered simply, threading his fingers in her blonde hair.  
  
"Oh, she's a v-" Faith started but stopped when she saw Angel's panicked look and the gestures he made behind Buffy to tell her not to say any more. "a warrior, too?"  
  
"Kinda yeah" The slayer nodded, without noticing Angel's sigh of relief. "So what did you guys find?"  
  
"A spell on an amulet. We need to find the amulet of Kishfar." Faith replied, but her eyes were on Angel, clearly showing her disapproval of his situation.  
  
"Alright, I'll go to the library, meet the others and we'll start researching." She informed Angel as she jumped down the counter.  
  
"I've got to go work at the magic shop for a couple hours. We'll meet you guys at school later."  
  
"That's a plan" She agreed with a grin  
  
"See you later sweetie" He murmured before kissing her and walking her to the door.  
  
"Bye" They kissed some more and after a few minutes she was gone.  
  
"He's bloody whipped." Spike stated when Angel closed the door.  
  
"Got that right buddy." Faith nodded, watching Angel closely.  
  
"What can I say?" He smiled at them and took a deep breath. He was gonna say it aloud for the first time. "I'm in love."  
  
*****  
  
"Angel, would you mind closing the shop after work? I need to go to Los Angeles right away." Mr Schreiber instructed his employee as he put on his coat.  
  
"Sure thing boss." The dark haired boy replied, not looking up from the inventory he was doing of all the amulets he had found around the shop and in the basement.  
  
"It was nice meeting the two of you" Mr Schreiber added, smiling politely at Faith and Spike.  
  
"Same here sir!" Faith grinned as she played with the amulets Angel had already discarded.  
  
"You know Peaches, I'm thinking you made a bloody good deal when you decided to work here" Spike commented once the owner of the magic shop was gone.  
  
"Yeah, it helps a lot with the research, and Schreiber's not a curious guy, so it's all good." Angel agreed with a smile, then let out a big frustrated sigh. "It's not here. Do we know how many copies exist?"  
  
"Six, mate. Six. Which by my standards...is not a lot. I mean, we're talking 6 in the whole wide world."  
  
"I'll check the computer" Angel mumbled as he rolled his chair to the other side of the counter to reach the computer.  
  
"So, while you're doing your computer thing here, how about we go back to the subject you smoothly changed after you dropped that little bomb shell on us." Faith suddenly reminded him of their earlier conversation.  
  
Trying to focus on his search on the net and not the face that popped up in his mind hearing Faith's words, Angel shrugged. "How about not?"  
  
"How 'bout yes?"  
  
"How 'bout not?"  
  
"How 'bout yes?"  
  
"How 'b-"  
  
"BLOODY HELL PEOPLE!!!" A British accented voice made them stop their game.  
  
"I just wanna be sure if I wasn't dreaming. He said he was in love goddamnit!" Faith defended herself, glaring at Angel, who acted as if nothing happened.  
  
"I heard what the bloke said, but he obviously doesn't want to say more, ok? Just back off Faith!" Spike spat at his girlfriend and moved so that he was sitting next to Faith and in front of Angel. "So pet," He said softly, leaning over Angel. "How's Blondie in bed?"  
  
"Spike! We're talking about LOVE here!" Faith exclaimed, offended. Then she looked at Angel and murmured casually "She did look like the good cock- sucker type."  
  
Angel just glared at them and shook his head. "We don't have time for this."  
  
"Fine, what did you find?" Faith relented, not without sharing a smile with Spike. There was no way they were gonna drop the subject forever.  
  
"The amulets were created by some monk guy around the 15th century, to stop the massacres of Saint Vigious Night. He made six of them, that he gave to six of his pals to go around the countries and do their saving-the-day job. Two of the six were lost in the 17th and 19th century, no one knows where they are. One of them was sold and is currently on the art market, and I won't even say the price because that would just make me sick. An other one is owned by some Italian dude. The two others, I'm not sure. I'm thinking one is currently exposed at a museum in LA, the description kinda fitted what we're looking for."  
  
"But it's in a museum" Faith repeated with a sigh.  
  
"Not anymore it's not." A familiar voice was suddenly heard, and they all turned around to see four of their friends standing in the doorway on the shop. "Angel man, you're one lucky dude we're here to help your sorry ass, ya know?"  
  
"Jeez Gunn, did you break into that museum?" Angel replied with a teasing grin.  
  
"Wasn't hard, my girl helped us out. She works there." The Afro-American boy answered, hugging his girlfriend with a proud grin, which made her blush slightly.  
  
"It's really not that big a deal, as long as we get the amulet back when we're done, we" Fred started rambling about laws and shame and order, only to be stopped by a quick kiss by Gunn.  
  
"Guys, I'm so glad you came." Angel told them truthfully, hugging them one by one.  
  
"Ya well, we'd have let you get killed any day, but we were bored, so..." Penn trailed off, earning a slap on the chest by his girlfriend Carrie.  
  
"Shut up dumbass" Carrie rolled her eyes and went to hug Angel. "You know we're always here if you need us Angel"  
  
"That'd be a good thing cos I need you now." Angel winked at the petite girl in his arms and went back to the books they had found that mentioned to ritual.  
  
"Here's the amulet bro" Gunn handed it to his friends who thanked him, then started examining the object.  
  
*****  
  
As they got back to the library from Willow's house where they'd eaten lunch, Buffy and Willow were talking about Angel and his reaction about the slayer thing. "He was the sweetest sweetie of all the sweetness in the sweet world of sweeties." Buffy murmured with a happy sigh and a dreamy look in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, I didn't get it, what did you say he was? Sweet, right?" The red-head teased her best friend.  
  
"Sorry Will, I get a little carried away whenever I think about him. He called me HIS SLAYER!!"  
  
"Yay, that's so cute!!" Willow giggled, Buffy's good mood was obviously contagious.  
  
"I know, and then this morning...god I thought I was gonna die of embarrassment."  
  
Willow raised a surprised eyebrow. "Why?"  
  
"Well, I kinda...saw him...clothes-less" Buffy admitted, still blushing by saying the words.  
  
"Really? Did you walk on him in the shower or something? How is he? Is he...you know...big?"  
  
"WILLOW!!" The slayer cried out in shock. "I can't believe you just asked me the size of my boyfriend's... ...thing."  
  
"Just curious" Willow mumbled under her breath. "Is he?" Buffy glared at her playfully before giggling uncontrollably  
  
"I dunno, I only saw his butt. He thought I was still asleep and he started changing clothes and I saw his backside. All of it."  
  
"And?" Willow pressed the question, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"First thought that crossed my mind? 'Don't go over there and bite his ass' " She paused for a second as Willow burst into a fit of giggles. "I mean he's like a Greek god or something! His body is so freakin' perfect, I can't think correctly whenever he's not wearing at least three sweaters and two pairs of pants and a huge coat. Which is NEVER!"  
  
"What did he do afterwards? Did he see you checking him out?"  
  
"Yeah, and he was so nice and all...I was deadly embarrassed and he just laid down on the bed with me and told me that if I wanted to see him I could, that he wouldn't mind." They had entered the library, which was empty of any of their friends, and they resumed their conversation sitting around the table.  
  
"Would you ask him?" Willow asked with a frown. She just couldn't picture herself asking Oz to take off his clothes so that she could see him naked.  
  
"Maybe. It's not like he'd feel uncomfortable. He already had sex a lot and I'm sure he didn't mind the girls watching his naked body. But even though I know he'd be really nice and all, I can't help feeling embarrassed. I mean we're talking about making a pretty big step forward, and I don't know how I feel about moving forward, even though I'm convinced it's better than moving backwards because I don't want to lose what we have and" She stopped in mid-sentence, when she noticed the amused look on Willow's face. "I was babbling, right?"  
  
"Hmm hmm" Willow nodded.  
  
"Ugh! I don't know what to do! I like him so much and I want him so badly! Plus, I know he wants me too. He told me he wanted to have sex with me and he also said he would wait and all...but god he must be so frustrated around me. I'm not sure I'm really comfortable about that. What if he's sick of the situation before I'm ready to sleep with him and he leaves? Or worse, he could cheat on me or something! Faith talked about" Then she remembered that Willow didn't know Faith, so she clarified what she was saying "She's one of Angel's New Yorker friends. I met her this morning. Angel didn't tell them about me, and she assumed I was Angel's fuck buddy or something. She sounded like it was common knowledge that Angel had friends like that, so what if he hooks up with one of them to have sex...a part of me think that he'd never do that to me because he never gave me any reason to doubt his faithfulness and stuff, but then maybe he doesn't have the same conception of love, and he just consider sex a hobby..." Buffy groaned loudly, her own speech pissed her off. "Maybe I should tell him I'm ready and have sex with him."  
  
"Don't do that"  
  
Both girls turned around, to see Jenny walking toward them. "Jenny, I didn't see you here..." Buffy murmured sheepishly.  
  
"Well, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, but I just couldn't help but overhear." The computer teacher went to sit next to the girls and looked at Buffy seriously. "Don't do something stupid Buffy. It's not my place to tell you this, but I'm gonna say it nonetheless. Don't give him your virginity because you think he would leave you. If he does leave you because you weren't ready, then he's a jackass and he's not worth staying with you."  
  
"I agree with her Buffy." Willow added with a smile.  
  
"But he looks so sad when I don't let him go too far." Buffy almost whined, without knowing who she was trying to convince. Them or her?  
  
"Did he ever in any way make you think he wouldn't wait for you to be ready?" Jenny asked  
  
"No"  
  
"I thought so. Look, I don't know him very well, but I know that he's a great guy. He's had many problems in his life that made him shy away from other people and tend to rebel against authority, but that doesn't mean he can't be sweet and understanding, you know that. He shows that side of himself when you're around, and it's clear to me he cares too much about you to lose you over sex. Try to believe in him."  
  
"Try to believe in who?" Cordelia asked as she entered the library.  
  
"No one" Buffy replied, while Willow blurted "Angel" The slayer rolled her eyes, knowing Cordelia would press the issue.  
  
"What's wrong with Angel?" The brunette asked.  
  
"Nothing, nothing's wrong. I just need to talk to him about something." Buffy answered with a big sigh.  
  
"So it's a sexual problem, huh?" All three girls looked at Cordelia. "What? Just because I'm dating XANDER doesn't mean I'm still a virgin! Jeez, I know when someone's talking about sex, thank you very much!" She acted offended, but was actually glad of their surprise. At least they didn't think she was a slut. Which she wasn't, she just had sex a few times with her previous boyfriend.  
  
"Sort of," Buffy nodded sheepishly.  
  
"Then just talk about it with him. He's not the kind to be easily scared off by any conversation that revolves around sex."  
  
"And how would you know that Cordelia?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"He's my lab partner, we talk." Cordy shrugged innocently, creating a little ache in Buffy's stomach that she recognized as jealousy. It was just too easy for Cordelia to talk with men. URGH.  
  
*****  
  
"So, where's your boyfriend Buffy?" Giles asked Buffy, and she heard the bitter tone he had meant to hide. Didn't work...  
  
"He said he would come soon." The slayer replied lamely, burying her face in a book. They had been researching the amulet and ritual for 2 hours and Angel had yet to make an appearance.  
  
"Then we should stop researching and start your training Buffy. You will need to face those vampires tonight." The watcher stated as he closed the book he was reading.  
  
"But what about the ritual?" Willow asked, exchanging a worried glance with Buffy.  
  
"I highly doubt it even exists, and also this amulet. We don't know if we can trust Angel, and I won't waste time researching something that doesn't exist." Giles lectured the whole group, not just Buffy.  
  
"You mean something like this?" A voice came behind Giles, and when he turned around he jumped in surprise, seeing Angel just behind him, holding a round object in his hand. Behind him, stood several other teens, completely unfamiliar to Giles.  
  
"What is it?" Cordelia asked curiously.  
  
"Looks old." Oz stated  
  
"Yeah, well it was made over 600 years ago, so that's a pretty good guess." Angel nodded as he started throwing the amulet in the air and catching it back in his hand.  
  
"Stop it!!" Fred rushed toward him and took the object in her hand while it was in the air. "I told you it was extremely fragile and old and precious and expensive! I'm gonna need to take it back and I can't take it back if it's broken!"  
  
"It's not like I was gonna drop it." Angel mumbled, saddened by the loss of his new toy.  
  
"Bad!" She pointed at him, as if she talked to a child.  
  
"Fine" He relented, and sat next to Buffy after she gave him back the amulet.  
  
"Angel, how about you stop being rude and introduce everyone?" Carrie replied from where she was standing in the arms of Penn.  
  
"Guys, this is Fred, Carrie, Gunn and Penn" Angel started, pointing to each of them "and those two are Faith and Spike."  
  
"Faith and Spike? What kind of names are those?" Xander muttered under his breath, although everyone heard him.  
  
"If you were half as hot as Spikey here, I might acknowledge you. Right now, you'll just be the moron. How's that for a name?" Faith smirked at Xander and winked at Angel who was slightly chuckling, and also at the brunette sitting next to the boy, who was trying to suppress her laughter.  
  
"Anyway, this is Cordelia, Willow, Oz, Xander, Geeves"  
  
"Giles" the watcher corrected him automatically.  
  
"Whatever" Angel shrugged and pointed at the next person. "This is Jenny and here's Buffy"  
  
"So that's the girl, huh?" Carrie remarked as she smiled friendlily at Angel.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Faith exclaimed, looking at her friend oddly.  
  
"Means girlfriend" Penn clarified, gaining a glare from the brunette.  
  
"You guys knew?" Spike was confused. He exchanged a glance with his girlfriend, and then they looked over at Angel, who was acting innocent but he was nervous.  
  
"I can't believe THEY knew!!!!" Faith almost yelled, stepping in front of Angel. "Why would you tell them and not me? Not US?"  
  
"I...they...asked me?" Angel answered with a sheepish smile.  
  
"They asked you my ASS! Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"I don't know! It's not a big deal"  
  
"Not a big deal?" Faith snapped in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me? The guy who had so many different lovers that I couldn't even keep count has a GIRLFRIEND?? For fuck's sake Angel, you're in l-"  
  
"FAITH!!" Angel cried out, glaring at his friend. He didn't want Buffy to learn about his feelings that way.  
  
"Sorry, but I still don't understand. Why are you doing this to yourself? You know you'll only end up being hurt."  
  
"Pet, let the bloke deal with his own crap. If he suddenly decided monogamy was his thing, let him be." Spike exclaimed, patting Angel on the shoulder as a mock 'your welcome' to the 'thanks' Angel didn't say and wouldn't say.  
  
Turning his attention back to the amulet in his hands, Angel didn't see the confusion in Buffy's eyes, and when he looked at her in the eyes, it was gone. "I'm not sure I'll be able to perform the ritual, it seems pretty complicated and I'm not too good with magic. Would anyone of you guys know that stuff?"  
  
********* 


	35. Part 35

Ok guys, calm down, I'm finally back!! I haven't been around my computer for a LONG time, so I couldn't update...sorry!! Anyway, I hope you're happy with the next chapters...which I wrote a LONG time ago and already posted on other sites...sorry again!!  
  
Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
35.  
  
An hour later, Jenny, who had volunteered to perform the ritual, with Willow as her assistant, was going through the ingredients and instructions, explaining a few things to Willow and informing a frustrated Giles of their progress. The watcher didn't enjoy being ordered around by a kid. Angel's friends had been too bored to stick around, so they had decided to meet up later at the library.  
  
After a moment, Buffy dragged Angel to Giles' office and closed the door behind them.  
  
"What did you wanna talk about?"  
  
"Angel, I...I've been wondering for a few days...more than that actually..." Buffy started, but she couldn't find the right words.  
  
"Take your time baby" Angel murmured sweetly as he pulled her onto his lap and started stroking her hair soothingly.  
  
"When I met Faith this morning, she-"  
  
"What?" Angel asked urgently.  
  
"Well, she assumed that we were...friends who..." She stopped when she heard his groan. He buried his face in her neck, cursing his idea to have his friends meet Buffy.  
  
"I'm sorry, Buffy. Don't listen to anything Faith or Spike say, they didn't know you were my girlfriend and they have troubles believing it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Angel sighed deeply and tightened his hold on her waist, giving himself strength to explain. "We've known each other for years, ever since we were about 13. They know me better than anyone because they were always here to see me when I was down. They know how much I suffered from relationships."  
  
"What happened?" Buffy asked, turning around to face him.  
  
"What, you want examples?" Angel snapped unconsciously. "My last girlfriend killed my best friend. How's that for a crappy relationship?" Seeing the pained look on her face, Angel softened immediately. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He paused for a minute, and since Buffy didn't say anything, he resumed his explanations. "After that I swore I'd never commit myself in a relationship anymore. That's why Faith assumed you were just here for sex."  
  
Angel looked really ashamed of himself and although Buffy knew she'd always be uncomfortable with his friends, she understood their behavior. "Angel, I- " *love you* "-understand." She said instead.  
  
"Thank you" *I love you* He thought but was unable to say it aloud. He kissed her softly, then moved his lips on her jaw, to her neck and ear, hugging her tightly against his chest.  
  
"I need to know something else." Buffy murmured between two moans. She felt him nod against her neck, so she kept going. "How long are you ready to wait for me?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Angel raised his head to look at her in the eyes.  
  
"Well, how long do you plan on waiting for me to be ready to have sex with you?" She clarified, trying to read what she saw in his eyes, and she was a little scared when she saw anger there.  
  
"How can you ask me that?" He asked in disbelief, moving her off his lap so he could stand up.  
  
"I need to know."  
  
"What do you want me to say? I can't believe you're asking me that!"  
  
"Angel, please, I just wanna know how long you'll be able to stay with me without sleeping with me."  
  
The dark-haired man looked at his girlfriend as if she had grown a second head. "Why? Because you think I'll leave you just to get laid?"  
  
"Would you?" She whispered weakly from her spot on the chair.  
  
"Jesus, Buff! Do you see me as a sex-addict? You think I can't have a sex- less relationship?"  
  
"Did you ever have one?" She challenged him, because she didn't understand why he should be angered by her question. It was him who had the so called fuck buddies, she did nothing wrong.  
  
"No, but that's not the point."  
  
"Really? And how am I supposed to know that? Your best friends who know you the best couldn't even believe you'd stay with the same person. What would they say if they knew you weren't getting any?"  
  
"It's not any of their damn business and that's all! I don't care what they think, Buffy, why would you?"  
  
"Because they KNOW you!" The slayer exclaimed, standing up as well. "I obviously don't! I mean, two days ago I didn't even know you fought vampires."  
  
"So what? I didn't know you were the slayer either, what's your point?" Angel glared at her angrily, while feeling like someone was stabbing him in the heart. He hated fighting with her.  
  
"You've got too many secrets Angel, that's my point. Every time I think I got you figured out, I learn something new about you and you don't-"  
  
"It's not my fault my life is a fucking mess! You chose to date me and be a part of this life, remember? I never forced you to do anything, and I would never force you to have sex with me! You could at LEAST know that much about me." When she didn't answer right away, Angel turned around and opened the door. "Finish the ritual, I'll go with the guys and find Morfran." He told her without showing any emotions and walked out of the library.  
  
*Very smooth Summers.* Buffy sighed heavily and went back to check on Jenny and Willow's work.  
  
*****  
  
An hour later, Angel was heading back to Kristin's house with Xander in his car that Gunn had brought from LA. Angel had asked the boy if they had any way to get information easily in Sunnydale, so they had gone to pay a visit to Willy. Xander had been surprised that Angel didn't ask Buffy, but he didn't dare ask him what was going on. He was obviously in a crappy mood. His friends were at Kristin's, since her foster parents weren't home, the house had been designed for a meeting place.  
  
"Do you think you'll be able to kill that Morfran guy?" Xander asked after a moment.  
  
"I did it once." Angel answered, not taking his eyes off the road.  
  
"OK..." Xander frowned. *Is it impossible for this guy to drop the cryptic and just...make sense??* "What do you mean? He's obviously not dead!"  
  
"Two years ago. I had just arrived in Los Angeles, and I was starting to find a crew, Gunn and Penn being the first ones to help me. I met Morfran on patrol a few times, and he was stronger than any vamp I had ever met. He had minions and a mate. It was the first powerful master vampire I encountered. I trained like crazy to be good enough to take him. Then one day, the guys and I went to the warehouse they were living in. I fought Morfran's girl and staked her. And then while I was fighting Morfran, Gunn and Penn set the building on fire after having blocked all exits except one. The plan was for me to stake Morfran and get the hell out of here, and the fire was to kill the remaining vamps. But I lost my stake in the battle. I didn't have any weapon to kill him, but I found this old barrel of chemical liquid stuff, and I threw it in his face. I knocked him down and took off. We always thought he had been killed by the fire...I mean, he couldn't move, his face was burning from the stuff I had thrown in his face. I guess some of his minions found another way out and saved him."  
  
"Wow. And now he's looking for vengeance, right?"  
  
"Same old, same old." Angel murmured, exchanging a smile with Xander.  
  
"So, what's the sudden rush to find the guy? I thought Jenny's spell thing would stop the effects of the vamps' ritual." Xander murmured curiously.  
  
"I just want this to be over."  
  
Xander chuckled "So you can find your way back in the Buffster's arms." He guessed, winking at Angel. However, he didn't see the smile that always seemed to appear on Angel's face when Buffy was mentioned, instead, the vampire hunter just shrugged and kept his eyes on the road. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"  
  
"No." Angel replied a little too quickly to be truthful.  
  
"Good. Because you know what? Buffy's my best friend. If you ever hurt her in any way, I won't care if you're a big bad slayerman, I WILL beat you to a bloody pulp." Xander threatened keeping a serious face as Angel looked directly into his eyes.  
  
"I appreciate." Xander was taken aback by the sadness he could see in Angel's eyes.  
  
*****  
  
"We don't need Buffy." Angel stated for the third time with a big sigh. He was in Kristin's living room with his friends and sister, and Cordelia had arrived a few minutes after he and Xander had joined the group.  
  
"She's the slayer." Xander replied for also the third time.  
  
"I've done this for years by myself, I already took Morfran down, I can do it again." Angel stubbornly shrugged as he checked a map of Sunnydale. Willy had told them Morfran was preparing the ritual with his few minions in a mansion on Crawford Street, so he needed to check the area before he went there.  
  
"Yeah, and we'll be there for back up." Penn added from his spot on the couch.  
  
"No, but-" Xander started, only to be interrupted by his girlfriend.  
  
"Jeez, Xander, leave them alone! Buffy'll be fine protecting Jenny and Will at the library in case the bad guys decide to get a wicca-snack."  
  
"Right." Angel nodded gratefully at Cordelia who smiled in return. Then he turned his attention back to the plan he was thinking of. "From what I saw, the minions are fairly young and stupid-"  
  
"Consider them dusted." Gunn exclaimed, and Angel nodded.  
  
"I suggest we go before the sun sets, in case the spell didn't work, that way we'll be able to stop them from gaining too much power. I'll take care of Morfran while you guys rescue the victims if there are any left alive. Everyone agree?"  
  
"Yes" Fred and Carrie answered in unison, showing the stakes they had in their hands.  
  
"Spike, I might need you to-" Angel trailed off when he noticed the bleached blonde wasn't in the room. "Where's Spike? And Faith and Krissy?"  
  
"Here mate." Spike called from the stairs. He reached the room with Kristin and Faith trailing behind.  
  
"What were you doing up there?" Gunn asked with a frown.  
  
"Talking, catching up." Faith replied *Planning Angel's love life...*  
  
"Kristin, you stay here" Angel commanded, and kept talking when his sister was about to argue "Spike you're coming with Gunn, Penn, Carrie, Fred and I. Faith you're staying here with Kristin."  
  
"I don't need a babysitter!!" Kristin cried out but Angel just looked at her pointedly. They must have had this conversation at least 2 thousand times in the past. He wouldn't let her get too close to the action and always refused to leave her alone when danger was rising."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Come on girlfriend, we'll use the time to dig out nasty stuff about Angel and show to his GIRLFRIEND." Faith snorted, taking Kristin's hand and leading her back upstairs. She obviously wasn't pleased with whatever Angel had going on with Buffy.  
  
*When did she become THAT overprotective of me? Jeez...* Angel thought, watching Spike chucking and reaching for a pack of cigarettes in his jacket. "Let's go, The Parkers aren't too fond of smoke smell in their living room."  
  
*****  
  
Angel drove Cordelia and Xander back to the library, because Xander had insisted that Buffy and Giles should know what Angel would be doing. Surprising everyone, Angel refused to go see them, claiming that he didn't like being bossed around by a stuffy Brit and that he did things his way...but the sad look in his eyes showed that he was lying. No one commented on that, so he just dropped Cordy and her boyfriend in front of the school and drove to the factory where Morfran was setting up his ritual.  
  
"He's WHAT?" A five-feet blonde cried out in anger.  
  
"He's going to kill the vamp." Xander answered as he sat next to Willow, who was practicing the spell.  
  
"Alone??"  
  
"No, his friends went with him."  
  
"What's the damn rush? He couldn't come here and explain his plan?" Buffy asked in disbelief.  
  
"Chill out Buff, he's used to that kind of situation you know. Don't forget he's been fighting evil longer than you have." Cordelia replied, taking Angel's side again and receiving a glare from her boyfriend because of it.  
  
"He could have at LEAST told us what he had planned to do." Buffy retorted through gritted teeth.  
  
"Maybe he would have if he had WANTED to talk to any of you." Cordelia shrugged dismissingly.  
  
"Why wouldn't he want to talk to Buffy?" Giles asked, stealing a glance at his slayer, whose face was a mixture of anger and guilt.  
  
"What did Angel tell you?" Buffy ignored Giles and the others and focused on the brunette.  
  
"Nothin', but you don't need to be miss lil' Willow-the-genius to notice he's hurting. Just because he's got the same job as you doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings, maybe you should start to consider them instead of yours." Buffy gaped at Cordy's blunt words. Especially because they came from the Queen Bitch herself.  
  
"Shut up Cordelia." Buffy then turned to the two silent witches and walked to them, rubbing her eyes to try and stay focused on the matter at hand. "Are you ready?" They nodded. "Good. You should start right now, when it's still sunny outside and the vamps can't come here."  
  
"Where are you going?" Her watcher asked, watching her choosing weapons.  
  
"Xander?" Buffy turned towards the boy expectantly. He handed her the address Willy had given them, and she looked at it before answering. "I'm going to a mansion on Crawford Street."  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"Giles! I'm gonna help them, and you won't be able to stop me, ok? I'll be careful." She assured them and stormed out of the library, leaving a very frustrated Giles and worried friends behind.  
  
*********  
  
TBC... Also, I need to tell you all something kinda important. As I said already, I already wrote the next chapters, and I post them on fanfiction groups on yahoo (aubafic and ba_fluff if you wanna check them out). And since most of my readers like smut, and also I'm kinda naughty these days, I wrote (and plan on writing) a few chapters that are way more than R rated. NC17 full force actually. Soooo I might have to stop posting on fanfiction.net, since they don't accept NC17 stories. And honestly it just bugs me to rewrite all the sex stuff. You'll find the story there: and you should check out the whole site, it's great! Ok, so I dunno what I'm gonna do with ff.net in the near future, maybe I'll have to stop putting that story here if someone complains or something...anyway, don't forget that link, who knows what'll happen! :) 


	36. Part 36

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
36.  
  
Crawford Street was only a couple blocks away from Angel's apartment, next to Delancey Cemetery. As the group neared the mansion, they could hear louder and louder the chanting, signaling that the vampires were still in the middle of the preparation for the ritual of that night. They watched silently in the main hall from the garden, and after a minute, Angel indicated to everyone what they should do. Clutching tightly a crossbow in his right hand and a stake in the other, the 18 year old warrior finally entered the mansion alone. Not willing to wait for pleasantries, he aimed his crossbow at the first vampires he could see, dusting two of them before anyone noticed his presence.  
  
"Angel!" Morfran growled at the sight of the boy and shifted into game face instantly.  
  
"Hey guys, ready to party?" Angel replied coolly, although he wasn't feeling that confident inside. He didn't expect THAT many vampires.  
  
"Kill him!" Morfran ordered, and a group of vampires rushed towards Angel, who threw his crossbow behind him and grabbed his gun loaded with wooden bullets. He dusted three more, but soon they were too close, so he put the gun back into his pocket and blocked their punches. A tall blonde vampire tried to kick Angel in the back of his legs, but Angel's instincts were fully working, and he performed a back flip before the vamp could make him fall. In a smooth movement he landed on his feet and elbowed another vampire in the guts, then grabbed his neck and threw him against the other minions, knocking them on their asses. The blonde vamp attacked again and this time Angel didn't have time to dodge, and he received a hard punch in the jaw. But he ignored the pain, knowing that if he ever took time to check his wounds, the vamps would get him.  
  
While Angel was fighting and the vamps busy trying to kill him, his friends had entered the mansion, spotting three humans chained to the wall. They silently went to them, dusting the two vamps who came on their way. More vampires came across Angel, as the young warrior tried to reach his main enemy. The vamps were overwhelming but it wasn't the first time he had to fight a mass of demons, so he handled himself fine, although he couldn't help but curse himself for not being able to get it over with in a minute.  
  
"You are pathetic boy, I hope you realize that." Morfran laughed from his spot across the room as he watched Angel fight.  
  
"Are you're a bloody coward!" Spike, who had decided to stay and help Angel, yelled angrily. *Oh bloody hell...* The peroxide blonde was clutching nervously at his stake while his friends were running out with the victims. *Pissing off a master vampire? NOT a smart move you wanker!* Spike cursed himself as Morfran growled his threat and lunged at him. After a miserably short fight with the vampire, Spike was unconscious, knocked out by a punch to his face, and Morfran was about to sink his fangs in his throat. Only to be violently thrown away by a petite pissed off blonde slayer.  
  
"Slayer!" The disfigured vamp growled angrily.  
  
"Nice to see ya again baby." Buffy smiled innocently. Without wasting any second, the two started fighting. Buffy chained up karate kicks and gymnastic jumps, roundhouses and somersaults, each time hitting her opponent in the chest, face or legs. She was angry at Angel and herself because of their fights, and her anger only gave her an advantage on the vampire. Still, he fought back with insistence and managed to kick her in the guts, throwing her across the room. She cried out in pain and surprise when she hit a strong body, making them both fall on the floor.  
  
"You ok?" Angel asked her from under her body. The slayer nodded and rolled off her boyfriend, letting him stand up. He jumped above the sofa and attacked Morfran.  
  
Buffy made a quick job of the few remaining vampires and sat on the floor, catching her breath, when the last was dusted. However, she wasn't offered a long moment of peace, because suddenly she heard her boyfriend cry out in pain. She was back on her feet in a second, grabbing a stake. Angel was being held against the wall by Morfran, his arm twisted around his back in what seemed like a VERY uncomfortable and probably VERY painful position. She could hear someone growling and assumed it was the vampire, but from her spot in the great hall she couldn't see Angel's face. The pain in his arm, chest and back, as Morfran repeatedly shoved him against the wall all the while pulling on his arm, was becoming unbearable, and his face had slipped into his vampiric features.  
  
Without a second thought, Buffy slipped quietly behind Morfran, and eventually buried her stake in his back, piercing his heart. With a surprised gasp, the demon turned to dust and released Angel, who fell on the floor on his knees, his hurt legs unable to keep him standing up.  
  
"Oh God, Angel, you ok?" Buffy kneeled behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Lemme help you stand up." She offered him, grabbing gently his arms. She was taken aback and hurt when he flinched at her touch, crawling away from her, without turning around. "Angel?"  
  
"Don't touch me" Her boyfriend answered weakly, slightly shaking and holding his injured arm with his other one.  
  
"What?" Buffy couldn't move, she wasn't able to pronounce anything else as she stared at Angel's back in distress. He couldn't even bear her touch? *What did I do?*  
  
"Please, just go." From his tone, you could tell it was painful for him to say that, but Buffy couldn't think straight at that moment. She had tears in her eyes and her hands were shaking as well.  
  
"I-I don't...why did...w-what?" The blonde stuttered helplessly, silently begging him to turn around and explain himself. But he remained a few feet away from her, sitting on the floor, holding his face with both hands.  
  
Her scared voice broke his heart. He couldn't control his emotions right now, which meant that he couldn't shift back into his human features. He was afraid to speak too much, because sometimes his voice came out in a growl between his fangs. He couldn't deal with her finding out of his nature at that moment, so he didn't have any choice. She had to go. "Go." He told her one more time, and heard her stand up. He tried to focus on the noise she was making to figure out whether or not she was leaving. But suddenly he felt her small hand on his shoulder, and he flinched from her, turning around and burying his face deeper in his hands. "Stay AWAY from me!" He cried out, his voice coming out distorted like a growl. The slayer jumped away in fear and ran away, tears falling down her cheeks.  
  
"God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Angel fell helplessly on the ground, his throbbing heart making him forget the pain of his arm.  
  
*****  
  
After leading the hurt persons to the hospital, Fred, Carrie, Penn and Gunn had gone back to the mansion to find Spike, who had a big bruise on the head, and Angel talking quietly in the living room. Seeing the all too familiar brooding face of Angel, they hadn't asked any questions and directly drove him back to his apartment as he had instructed them. Then they had driven to Kristin's and called the library there. Jenny and Willow had performed the ritual with no mistake, which explained why Angel and Buffy had been able to fight the vamps with not too much trouble. After running away from the mansion, Buffy had walked to the library, quickly explaining the situation to her watcher, and then went back home with Willow and a surprisingly attentive Cordelia, where the three girls talked about Angel, their fight and his harsh words. On the other side of town, Angel was alone in his bed, ignoring the phone calls from his friends. He didn't want to hear whatever his sister or Faith had to say about his behavior. Talking to Spike was one thing. Confronting all of his friends at once, he couldn't. So he stayed in the dark, brooding all night, and feeling miserable. He stayed home all day on Sunday, not even going out to say goodbye to his friends who were going back to LA in the morning.  
  
Around 2 in the afternoon, Angel was still in bed when a persistent knock on his door was heard. "You bloody ponce, take your bloody fucking ass to the door and let us in!" A loud British voice exclaimed, and then the knocking resumed harder than before. Reluctantly, Angel slipped out of bed and dragged his feet from the bedroom to the living room. Kristin, Faith and Spike were standing in the hallway and all three of them almost gasped at the sight before them. Angel was standing in front of them in boxers, his body was covered by bruises and cuts, he had dark circles under his eyes, which were both red and his gaze was pained.  
  
"Wow, you look like shit!" Faith exclaimed after a minute, breaking the silence, and they all entered the apartment.  
  
"Angel, you-"  
  
Angel immediately interrupted his sister as he walked towards his bedroom. "I don't wanna hear it."  
  
"Come on Angel, you need help!" Kristin persisted and exchanged a glance with Spike and Faith when Angel slammed the door of his bedroom behind him. They of course followed and entered the bedroom. Angel was crawling under the covers, seeking the warmth that would erase the cold world the fight with his girlfriend had dipped him in.  
  
"Didn't she ever call?" Spike asked and sat on the chair at the desk, facing the bed where Faith and Kristin were sitting on both sides of Angel. The dark-haired boy simply shook his head.  
  
"Did YOU call her?" Kristin then asked, soothingly stroking Angel's arm. He shook his head again.  
  
"Jesus WILLIAM! You're PATHETIC!" Faith exclaimed suddenly, making her three friends jump in surprise. Angel's friends used rarely called him by his real name, and whenever Faith did it, it meant she was seriously pissed off.  
  
Angel shrugged and glared at her. "What do you know? You don't even know her, you don't know how I'm feeling right now!"  
  
"HOW are you feeling? If you told us instead of shying away and brooding like there's no tomorrow, maybe we could help you. Come on Peaches, try and share a little, will ya?" Spike suggested before his girlfriend could show how big her mouth was. His little chat with his best friend at the mansion had managed to calm him down and let him lose his vampiric features, but Angel had refused to share anything about whatever happened with Buffy.  
  
"I love her." Angel stated after a moment of silence. "That's the problem. I'm in fucking LOVE with her!"  
  
"Calm down Angel, there's no need to get angry." Kristin could see anger rising in her brother's eyes, and it made her wonder how she hadn't seen before just how deep his feelings for Buffy went. Sure, she knew he liked her at first and that he fell in love with her eventually, but seeing him so hurt and devastated, she suspected she had underestimated his feelings.  
  
"I just...I just...I love her so much, I can't stand being away from her." Angel murmured sadly, clutching the covers closer to his face.  
  
"Then what are you doing here instead of screwing her into oblivion in her bed?" Faith exclaimed bluntly, receiving a glare from Kristin and Spike. "What?" She whispered innocently at her friends, before turning to Angel again.  
  
"We got into a fight yesterday afternoon. Then all that mess with Morfran happened and when it was over I...I..." He had replayed his words in his mind all night, and he hated himself for being so mean to her. He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but right now he was feeling so low that he didn't give a shit if his friends saw him crying. "Morfran was chocking me, and I couldn't help morphing...and I freaked out that she'd see my face so I yelled at her to go away. She was just looking at me and...I yelled and, god I made her cry!" Angel sobbed into his pillow, cursing himself for hurting her.  
  
"Sweetie, you need to talk to her. Tell her the whole thing." Faith advised him while she rubbed his back.  
  
"She'll hate me." Angel shook his head firmly, and Faith tried not to hit him on the head for being so stubborn. How did he expect this relationship to work out if he lied about his very self?  
  
Kristin sighed deeply in annoyance. "First of all, she won't hate you. And then...you have to try something. Call her, touch her, kiss her, whatever but DO SOMETHING instead of being your pathetic self and brood 24-7!"  
  
*****  
  
"Feeling better?" Xander asked with his eyebrows raised as Buffy dusted off the last vamp. The both of them were patrolling on Sunday night, but Xander suspected that Buffy was mainly looking for punching balls.  
  
"A lot better." The slayer nodded with a grin and sat back next to her best friend. "Do you think I should tell him?" She went back to their previous subject, before they got interrupted by the group of vampires.  
  
"That you love him? Sure, it wouldn't hurt to be truthful from time to time."  
  
Buffy turned around to face Xander with an amused smile. "Are you saying that so that we'd talk about you and Cordy?"  
  
"Noooooo!" Xander shook his head nonchalantly then met Buffy's gaze and frowned. "Yes, please."  
  
"You're still trying to ask her if she's ready to have sex?" Buffy guessed, remembering their conversation a few weeks before.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't wanna make her think that I don't have feelings for her. I'm not just here for sex, but...ya know...we got pretty close lately, and..."  
  
"I understand" Buffy patted him on the arm friendlily. "Believe me, I do."  
  
"Did you get there with Angel, yet?"  
  
"That's the main reason we're fighting these days. He thinks I don't trust him and that I think he'll cheat on me or something."  
  
"Do you?"  
  
"No, of course not. I trust him, but I want him to feel comfortable around me until I'm ready to sleep with him. I feel like I'm frustrating him. I don't want that." Buffy admitted with a sigh.  
  
"Tell him you trust him and you love him." Xander suggested, making Buffy nod thoughtfully. "Simple but direct. There shouldn't be any misunderstandings."  
  
*****  
  
It was Monday morning, and Angel was woken up by a knock at the door. *What NOW? Can't a guy fucking stay in bed on a school day?* He hadn't planned to show up at school all day, since it would mean seeing Buffy, and he still hadn't figured out what he could tell her. He went to the door grumpily, opened the door and swore. "Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me!"  
  
********* 


	37. Part 37

Title: Devastating Past  
  
Author: Valerie  
  
E-mail: funbreath@msn.com  
  
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me  
  
Summary: AU Angel is new at Sunnydale High. He meets Buffy and the gang. They think he's just a regular kid. Not likely.  
  
Timeline: during season 2 of BTVS...sorta. Let's just say that Buffy and the gang are in their Junior year in Sunnydale High.  
  
Spoilers: as far as alternate universe goes...almost nothing. References on demons from BTVS and Angel from time to time, but that's about it  
  
Rating: R  
  
Distribution: You can take it but ask me first please.  
  
Feedback: That's a big big big yes!!!!! It's my first fic, so please?  
  
*********  
  
37.  
  
((I don't know anything about the social services in the US and laws about orphans and such, so I'm making my own to fit the story...))  
  
"Mr Connelly. I see you haven't changed." The woman stated coldly as she looked over Angel. He was wearing only black boxers and his body was covered by cuts and bruises.  
  
"Now why would I do that Miss Kassington?" Angel replied coolly, leaning casually against his doorframe. Before him was the woman he had grown to despise over the past 6 years. She was the employee of the social services in charge of his and his sister's case. She was a short fat woman in her forties who maintained a strong dislike for Angel.  
  
"I believe today is a school day Mr Connelly. Why aren't you at school?"  
  
"I wasn't feeling well." He replied innocently, but his smirk gave his lie away. "What are you doing here princess?"  
  
"Mr Snyder reported to us that you missed quite a number of classes in the past few months. I am here to see what can be done about it." Miss Kassington explained briefly while she entered the apartment. Angel rolled his eyes and closed the door behind them, watching the woman inspecting his place and taking notes. After a moment, she grabbed a couple magazines from the coffee table in the living room and showed it to Angel, raising her eyebrows. "I did not remember that Kristin read Vogue and Cosmo."  
  
"They're not Kristin's, they're my girlfriend's. She leaves that stuff here for when she comes around." Angel answered with a shrug. He was used to those inspections from time to time, and knew that if he said something bad, that short woman had the power to make his life hell.  
  
"A new girlfriend. That's interesting. Is she the reason you missed so many classes?"  
  
"No, that's just a bad habit of mine. I don't like going to class. Remember, I wanted to drop out of school last year but you threatened me to take Kristin away from me." Angel mumbled bitterly.  
  
"I remember that you agreed to try and graduate from High School if I let you live in the same town as Kristin. You better start doing your homework this year, otherwise you'll be lost next year. Which is why you're gonna get dressed and follow me to your school." Miss Kassington replied strictly.  
  
Angel sighed deeply. "I swear M'am, I know the promise I made, and I intend to respect it, but... I can't go today, it'd be too hard."  
  
"Why? You certainly don't look sick."  
  
"I'm not, it's just that..." He hesitated for a moment. He could tell the truth...but he doubted that'd be enough. Well, he could try...at least she'd see he had a reason. "I got into a fight with my girlfriend and it's all my fault."  
  
"So you're not going to school because you feel bad?" Miss Kassington sighed deeply and shook her head.  
  
"Well, not really. I just don't know how to make it better and I know that if I see her I'll screw things over even worse. I love her so much, I can't lose her. Please, don't make me go." Angel begged with a pained look that he wasn't used to wear in front of her. She was beginning to feel sorry for her charge, but she was an intransigent woman and he had to go to school.  
  
"I'm sorry Angel, you can't miss your classes. Go ahead and get dressed darling." She commanded softly as she put neatly a few books that were laying on the floor back in the bookshelf. Reluctantly, Angel stood up and went in his bedroom to get dressed.  
  
A few minutes later he came back, wearing his leather pants and a black shirt and stated simply "You're about to be the death of me and the love of my life. I hate you."  
  
"You'll thank me when you are mature enough to understand what's good for you." Miss Kassington shrugged and exited the apartment, choosing not to reply to Angel's grumble of annoyance. Each time, same speech.  
  
*****  
  
"What if he doesn't show up all day?" Buffy asked nervously her best friend, who was sitting next to Xander behind her. "Should I go at his apartment or something?"  
  
"No, let him make the first step, he's the one who yelled at you." Willow whispered back with a firm nod.  
  
"On the other hand, you're the one who told him you didn't trust him." Cordelia added from her seat on the right of Willow.  
  
"I didn't say that exactly, he just misunderstood." The slayer replied innocently.  
  
Cordy shrugged dismissively. "Whatever. Seeing how stubborn the two of you are, neither of you will ever make the first step."  
  
"I'm not stubborn, I just d-" Buffy started to defend herself, only to be interrupted by their literature teacher Mr Peterson, forcing the three girls to stop their conversation.  
  
*****  
  
"You really don't have to take me to the classroom, I'll find it by myself." Angel told both Miss Kassington and an other man from the social services with a fake smile as he opened his locker.  
  
"I'd like to be sure you get to your seat safely. Well...mostly that you GET to your seat." The woman insisted smugly while she and the man in the suit led Angel to his classroom.  
  
"Jesus people!! Don't you trust me?" Angel rolled his eyes and almost groaned out loud when the man grabbed him by the arm.  
  
"Absolutely not." Miss Kassington answered, and they finally reached his class.  
  
"Well, thanks, it was great seeing you again. You can leave now." The 18 year old waved them goodbye, but they ignored him.  
  
The man opened the door, leaving Miss Kassington to speak with Mr. Peterson and still holding a suspicious Angel by the arm.  
  
*Oh boy he looks so good* Buffy sighed, unconsciously checking him out. When she realized she was almost drooling at the sight of him in leather pants, she quickly averted her gaze, hoping Angel hadn't seen her. She had to be strong.  
  
"Go take a seat next to Miss Summers, Angel." The teacher instructed him. Angel looked up, startled, and tried to say something, but he didn't know what he could say. When he didn't move, the suit guy led him forcefully to his seat, but Angel remained standing.  
  
"Sit." Miss Kassington ordered coldly.  
  
"What if I don't?" Angel asked innocently. "What if I choose to remain standing? What if I want to leave? You're not gonna stay here all day, I'll be free to go. Why should I bother sitting when I'm gonna go a few minutes later?" Responding to his questions, the man gripped his arm strongly enough to leave a bruise. "That hurts buddy. Why don't you make an expression and talk instead of using force? Who are ya anyway? Dear Kassington's minion?" Angel glared at the man until he let his arm go.  
  
"Mr Connelly, if you don't quit your insolent behavior, sit and follow all your classes today, I'll be forced to report this to the manager of my department who will gladly have your apartment rummaged and have you move back to the Evans' home." Miss Kassington threatened with an innocent smile.  
  
"I'll be good." Angel mumbled dejected and sat down. Without another word, the two adults left the classroom, and the teacher resumed his lesson.  
  
For a few minutes, Angel and Buffy sat awkwardly next to each other silently, trying to steal a glance at the other without being noticed. *Alright...I'm the strong one. I didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who has to make the first move. I don't have to do anything. It's not my fault. He's a bastard. I hate him.* Buffy babbled mentally, and eventually turned slightly around, and accidentally met Angel's gaze. She quickly averted her gaze, but was shocked at the amount of pain she saw in his eyes. Hesitantly, she tore a piece of paper from her note book, and grabbed a pen.  
  
Angel frowned in confusion when Buffy slid a folded piece of paper onto his lap. He unfolded it, careful that the teacher wouldn't see it, and his lips curved into a small smile, as he read the short note.  
  
/Hi :)/  
  
Without turning around to see Buffy's face, Angel quickly wrote back and gave her the paper back.  
  
/Hey. I missed you/  
  
Buffy couldn't help but smile at that. At least now she knew he still had feelings for her. /Who were those people?/ she wrote, and discreetly passed it to him.  
  
/Social Services. They're trying to make me go to all my classes./  
  
/Oh...why didn't you come?/ She hesitated as she wrote it to give that message to him, and finally changed it for /How are you?/. She didn't want him to tell her that he didn't come because he didn't want to see her.  
  
/I feel like shit./ Angel answered truthfully. He paused for a second, unsure if it was wise to talk about their fight now, but eventually decided to do it. So he added /I'm so sorry about last Saturday/  
  
Buffy was relieved, but she needed to know more. /What happened?? Why did you react that way???? Did I do something wrong?/  
  
/No Baby, it wasn't your fault. It hurt my damn ego to be saved by a girl from a vamp. I'm sorry I'm such an ass/ He was sort of lying, but he couldn't tell her the truth like that. Anyway, it was more or less true...it DID hurt his ego that a girl was able to off Morfran when he had almost gotten killed.  
  
She wasn't surprised by his answer, but it pained her that her fears had been true. She didn't want him to have an inferiority complex. /I promise next time I'll let you get killed/ She drew a few smiley faces around her sentence to show him she was joking.  
  
He smirked when he read her message, but he was serious again when he wrote back. /I'm also sorry about our fight in the library...I never should have gotten mad at you. It's natural that you feel that way, although I wish you'd trust me/  
  
/I do. I swear I do. I'm so very sorry too, but I'm so insecure when it comes to being intimate with a guy that I can't understand how you don't want to run away from me. Every other guy left me, why would you stay? Why do I have to give you?/  
  
Angel stared at the paper for a few minutes. *She doesn't know how wonderful she is? How can't she know that she's the most fantastic woman? Who are those bastards that left her?? How can you be so retarded to let her go???* He was stunned by her insecurity, but at that moment, he knew exactly what to answer.  
  
/I love you/  
  
He finally looked at her, wanting to see her reaction as she read his confession. She was utterly stunned. She stared at the three words that she had longed to hear for so long with her mouth slightly open in shock. That was NOT expected. He loved her? She loved him, that she knew...but HE loved HER??? How was that even possible? Suddenly, she felt Angel's hand on her thigh. He was stroking her softly, obviously nervously, but in a loving way that made her heart skip a beat. He loved her. She turned her head around and saw that he had he was looking at his lap, waiting for her to answer. He looked so cute, being all nervous and shy. She put her hand on top of his on her thigh, and he turned it over to take her hand. None of them said or did anything else until two minutes later when the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. As everyone was leaving the classroom, Angel let go of Buffy's hand and, still without meeting her gaze, walked out of the room.  
  
*****  
  
"Wait! Wait Angel please!" Buffy exclaimed as she finally snapped out of dreamland.  
  
He stopped walking and looked at her as she hurried down the hall to catch up with him. Her reaction had frightened him. He didn't know what to think of it. If she had answered something at least he'd know what to do. "Look Buffy, if you don't-"  
  
"Did you really mean what you wrote?" She interrupted him, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.  
  
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I did. Completely. I love you Buffy." He felt sick and was afraid he'd throw up as he waited for her to say something. He had never felt so nervous in his whole life.  
  
After a moment, a big grin enlightened Buffy's face. "I love you too Angel."  
  
"Y-You...r-really? You do??" He stuttered as his heart made flip flops in his chest.  
  
"Yeah! I love you. I love you!!" She repeated a little louder.  
  
"Oh thank god!" Angel breathed out in relief and kissed her passionately, oblivious of all the students around them who had been watching them and were now clapping and whistling at the couple.  
  
*****  
  
Two days later, Buffy and Angel were hanging out at Angel's in the afternoon. They were laying on his bed, Angel on top of Buffy, and had been making out for at least 40 minutes. "Hmmm, I love you" Buffy moaned, closing her eyes under Angel's kisses on her neck.  
  
"I love you more." Angel whispered in her ear before nibbling at it playfully.  
  
"Impossible." The slayer mumbled with a sigh. She loved the feeling of Angel's body pressing hers against the mattress.  
  
"You smell good. I love that scent."  
  
"Vanilla" Buffy nodded as she slipped her hands underneath Angel's shirt and started caressing his back.  
  
"I love your skin. It's smooth and it tastes" He licked her neck to illustrate his point "so good. I could kiss you for hours"  
  
"I love your kisses"  
  
"I love your eyes" He replied with an adoring smile, gazing into her hazel eyes.  
  
"I love your hands" Buffy smiled back sleepily.  
  
"Do you like them here?" Angel asked huskily and slipped one hand under her shirt. He slid it from her stomach to her chest. "What do you think you're doing going around braless?"  
  
She opened her eyes in surprise. She had thought it'd please him..."I'm sorry...do you think it's ugly?" She asked in a small voice.  
  
"Oh boy, you've got a lot to learn about your body kiddo." He told her playfully as he cupped one breast gently. "Believe me, it's not ugly. It's an -extremely- big turn-on for me. But you're gonna drive me crazy if you keep turning me on that much." She smiled sheepishly at him, feeling better already and tingly from his hand on her breast. Raising her head to kiss him, she heard him mutter against her lips" I love it. I love you."  
  
"I love you too" Buffy answered and moaned in pleasure when Angel started playing with her nipple.  
  
*****  
  
"When d'you think they'll stop all that 'I love you' crap?" Faith asked her boyfriend, after she passed Angel's room and overheard the couple's conversation.  
  
"I'm thinking never, but maybe one day Nancy boy will realize how bloody whipped he is and will start doing something about it" Seeing the brunette's doubtful look, he shrugged helplessly. "Or maybe not."  
  
Spike and Faith had decided to stick around a little while longer and were living with Angel, at least until the basketball match against Hemery at the end of the week. Miss Kassington had told Angel and Kristin she would be working from now on at the Sunnydale office of the Social Services after she had asked the Parkers a few questions about Kristin's behavior. She apparently wanted to make sure Angel wouldn't bother Kristin's new healthy life. But right now, Angel couldn't care less about it. Right now, the world could come to an end that he wouldn't care. He was in Buffy's arms and that was all that mattered.  
  
*********  
  
So...how did you like that? It's not over yet, don't worry!! 


End file.
